Extended retail hours for Adelaide Cup Day in suburban Adelaide

Suburban shops will be open for the first time on Adelaide Cup Day as the trading hour reform push escalates ahead of next year’s state election.

Shoppers in a busy Rundle Mall. Longer trading will be allowed on Adelaide Cup Day, March 8. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

A push for shop trading hour reform will escalate in the lead-up to the state election, as retailers across suburban Adelaide are allowed to open on Adelaide Cup Day for the first time.

In a move that will infuriate the Labor opposition and the powerful shop assistants’ union, Treasurer Rob Lucas has granted a special ministerial exemption enabling retailers to trade on March 8.

All shops, regardless of size and location, will be able to open from 9am to 5pm under the Shop Trading Hours Act exemption.

This means CBD shops will also be able to open from 9am – extending their operation by two hours – and some major retailers at West Beach’s Harbour Town that could not previously trade on public holidays will be able to do so. Mr Lucas said the decision was consistent with similar exemptions he granted for Boxing Day in the past three years, Easter Monday in the past two and last year’s Proclamation Day.

“On these particular days, we saw South Australians turn out in their droves to embrace greater freedom of choice in shop trading and we anticipate there will be a number of retailers who choose to take up this opportunity again,” Mr Lucas said.

“As the state continues its strong economic and jobs rebound from COVID-19, it’s critical we do everything we can to keep up this momentum and create the necessary environment to drive ongoing business and consumer confidence.”

Shoppers on Jetty Road in Glenelg on Boxing Day last year.

Mr Lucas said nobody could be forced to work on a public holiday, but suggested many workers, particularly young people, would “be champing at the bit to earn some extra money on the day”.

The Liberal government has been unable to fulfil its 2018 election promise to give shops the power to trade when they want, the move torpedoed by Labor and the upper house crossbench.

Mr Lucas has instead relied on the series of extended hour exemptions, while signalling a fresh bid to deregulate retail trade.

SA Independent Retailers spokesman Colin Shearing has consistently opposed deregulation, saying a period of extended trading during the first coronavirus wave last year was disastrous for smaller stores.

“It’s what we always said. If you only have $100 to spend, you aren’t going to spend any more money because shops are open longer. It’s not going to happen,” Mr Shearing said in July last year.

Labor has cited a report by public policy group the McKell Institute which, in 2018, found deregulation would have “no significant impact on consumer welfare or the economy.”