❓ Hon. Kate Doust questions the Minister for Commerce regarding consultation with the SDA and retailers before proposing further extensions to general retail trading hours. The Minister acknowledges a review and ongoing incremental changes, but doesn't directly confirm or deny pre-decision consultation.
AnsweredQoN 1157Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
RETAIL
TRADING HOURS
1157. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to media reports in The West Australian on Tuesday this week that the government is
proposing to extend, again, general retail trading hours in the metropolitan
area.
Did the minister consult with the SDA or any retailers prior
to making this decision; and, if not, why not?
TRADING HOURS
1157. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to media reports in The West Australian on Tuesday this week that the government is
proposing to extend, again, general retail trading hours in the metropolitan
area.
Did the minister consult with the SDA or any retailers prior
to making this decision; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question.
A review has been conducted into the retail trading hours
regime and I propose to table the report of that very shortly. Otherwise, our
commitment following the last election, and the considerable reforms that this
government has made to retail trading hours over the last several years, was to
continue the process of incremental changes to retail trading hours and to
eliminate, as far as possible, a number of anomalies that are quite stark in
the way that the legislation and the associated regulations work. Hon Phil Edman highlighted in one of his
speeches some of the absurd anomalies in one area of operation, which is what
people can and cannot buy at filling stations, for example. That process
continues. I am not at liberty to comment on what may or may not be introduced
in the near future, suffice it to say that the legislation has been prepared in
order to continue that process of incremental improvement. Considerable
consultation has occurred in respect of the review and the report. Otherwise, I
continue to receive correspondence from a variety of interest groups about the
changes that can or should be made to the retail trading hours regime. Off the
top of my head, I do not recall whether the SDA has been—the SDA being?
Hon
Kate Doust : The union.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN : There was a meeting relatively recently
with one of the unions and my officers at my ministerial office. I was
comforted by some of the information that it provided to me about proposed
reforms. I will find out more about who, in fact, has been consulted over the
process. Suffice it to say, over the last several years just about everyone has
had an opinion on retail trading hours and has been open to expressing those
opinions to me in one way or another, whether by correspondence or directly.
A review has been conducted into the retail trading hours
regime and I propose to table the report of that very shortly. Otherwise, our
commitment following the last election, and the considerable reforms that this
government has made to retail trading hours over the last several years, was to
continue the process of incremental changes to retail trading hours and to
eliminate, as far as possible, a number of anomalies that are quite stark in
the way that the legislation and the associated regulations work. Hon Phil Edman highlighted in one of his
speeches some of the absurd anomalies in one area of operation, which is what
people can and cannot buy at filling stations, for example. That process
continues. I am not at liberty to comment on what may or may not be introduced
in the near future, suffice it to say that the legislation has been prepared in
order to continue that process of incremental improvement. Considerable
consultation has occurred in respect of the review and the report. Otherwise, I
continue to receive correspondence from a variety of interest groups about the
changes that can or should be made to the retail trading hours regime. Off the
top of my head, I do not recall whether the SDA has been—the SDA being?
Hon
Kate Doust : The union.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN : There was a meeting relatively recently
with one of the unions and my officers at my ministerial office. I was
comforted by some of the information that it provided to me about proposed
reforms. I will find out more about who, in fact, has been consulted over the
process. Suffice it to say, over the last several years just about everyone has
had an opinion on retail trading hours and has been open to expressing those
opinions to me in one way or another, whether by correspondence or directly.
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