Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (20 June) . . Page.. 1959 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

The Government's retail policy represents a pragmatic and integrated approach to what is a very complex issue. The policy provides targeted benefits. Small business retailers will benefit from deregulated trading hours, particularly those operating supermarkets in local and group centres. Consumers will continue to have access to convenience and weekly shopping facilities as well as the potential benefit of a more viable local shopping centre, enhanced through a wider range of permitted uses. Investors as well as consumers will also be advantaged by the Government's incentive plan to remit up to 50 per cent betterment for the redevelopment of local centres, in circumstances of declining viability.

Included in the Government's proposals is the helpShop program, which will provide business and other advisory services direct to small business operators in all local, group and town centres. A helpShop van will commence business in July and operate for an initial 12-month period. A local centres ideas competition has also been announced, which is to be funded by the private sector. To add more certainty to business decisions, the Government has introduced an evaluation check sheet for the applications dealing with major redevelopments. This will be a valuable guide to business and will also assist in streamlining Government planning decisions.

Mr Speaker, the Trading Hours Bill 1996, when enacted, will put the ACT at the forefront of trading hours deregulation in Australia. Whilst the Bill does seek to impose some restrictions on supermarket trading in town centres, these proposed restrictions have been kept to an absolute minimum whilst still enabling the broader policy goals of the retail policy to be met. This limited restriction on supermarket trading is the only restriction on trading hours proposed. In all other respects, a fully deregulated trading hours environment will apply, with retailers free to respond to changes in our community's shopping patterns.

This Bill will deregulate trading hours in the ACT to an extent that, to my knowledge, applies nowhere else in Australia and, as such, reflects this Government's ongoing objective of producing innovative policies to meet the present and future needs of the community.

Mr Osborne: Do you really believe this?

MR DE DOMENICO: I do. I will take on board that interjection from Mr Osborne. It seems to me that Mr Osborne agrees to limiting trading hours of certain bars and clubs in this town but does not want to take it a step further. Can I say also that this Government will continue to resist all this media hype that has been going on, because this Government will continue to make sure that, after the trucks from Woolworths, Coles and others come into town with groceries, they do not leave the ACT with bucketfuls of our money. I have great pleasure in commending the Bill to the Assembly.

MR SPEAKER: The question is: That this Bill be agreed to in principle. Everybody has been very keen to interject during the presentation speech. Is not anybody going to do something positive?

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .