Shop trading hours deregulation plan by Liberals likely to be blocked by SA Best Upper House MPs

PREMIER Steven Marshall’s hopes of quickly deregulating shop trading hours and capping council rates look set to be killed off by an obstinate Upper House.

SA Best MP Connie Bonaros, party leader Nick Xenophon and MP Frank Pangallo.

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PREMIER Steven Marshall’s hopes of quickly deregulating shop trading hours and capping council rates look set to be killed off by an obstinate Upper House.

New Upper House MP Frank Pangallo declared the likelihood he and SA Best colleague Connie Bonaros would support the changes was “remote”.

He said Mr Marshall would need to provide “clear evidence” that allowing shops to open when they wanted would not harm the state’s small businesses, to have any chance of swaying their vote.

“They’ve definitely got a fight on their hands,” he said.

“I can’t see it happening in their first 100 days in Government.”

Mr Pangallo’s promise for SA Best to stick firm in its opposition to two of Mr Marshall’s core election commitments comes just two days after he urged the Upper House to respect his reform “mandate”.

Mr Marshall’s Government looks likely to claim at least 25 of the state’s 47 seats, and the new Premier has warned the Upper House that it would be “a bold Legislative Council who wanted to go against the newly elected government and the wishes of the people.”

Deregulating shop trading hours is one of a number of legislative tweaks and reviews that Mr Marshall has vowed to achieve in his first 100 days as premier. But he will need the support of the two SA Best MPs for it to become a reality, given the Greens and Labor have vowed to block any changes to the current shop trading regime.

Currently large supermarkets in Adelaide can only open until 5pm on Saturdays, and from 11am to 5pm on Sundays.

Mr Pangallo said he and Ms Bonaros would be “consultative, but not obstructionist for the sake of it” during their eight-year Legislative Council term.

Mr Pangallo said he and Ms Bonaros were yet to decide who would be SA Best’s parliamentary leader, but was happy for the position to go to his colleague.

“Connie was number one on the Upper House ticket and I’m happy for her to lead,” Mr Pangallo said.