Treasurer declares Easter Monday open for business

Shops will be allowed to open their doors on one of the Easter public holidays for the first time as the SA Government flexes its muscles — despite being defeated over a key election pledge.

• Labor, crossbench unite to defeat shop deregulation bill

Doors will swing open in major shopping centres and retail stores throughout the state on Easter Monday for the first time ever this year.

Treasurer Rob Lucas has again used his discretionary powers to allow trading on the public holiday after doing the same for Boxing Day for the first time in 2018.

The man who went to the State Election promising to deregulate trading hours in South Australia, but was left with little options after the Upper House voted down reforms, has declared Anzac Day and Good Friday are off limits for the State Government.

But he has told The Advertiser Easter Monday makes sense.

“In arriving at this decision, I considered the options in the same way I did for New Year’s Day, Australia Day and the Adelaide Cup Day public holiday,” Mr Lucas said.

“While I made no change on those occasions, I accepted that … there was considerable demand to warrant the granting of an exemption.”

SA Treasurer Rob Lucas. Picture: Kym Smith

Mr Lucas pointed out that over a seven day period there would have been four restricted trading days — Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Anzac Day.

“This will be a shot in the arm for South Australian retailers and consumers who, despite hysterical protests from the Labor Party and their mates in the shoppies’ union, have been longing for greater freedom of choice and extended trading beyond the CBD and most of regional SA,’’ he said.

The move, which brings South Australia in line with every other state and territory, will enable suburban stores to open their doors from 11am to 5pm on Monday, April 22 — if they choose.

“The power to issue this exemption is within the current law and Labor governments and Labor Ministers have used it in the past in extending shopping hours in the lead up to Christmas, including non-stop 24-hour trading.”

Opposition treasury spokesman Stephen Mullighan said if the government was to move to allow additional trading on Easter Trading it would be a blow to tens of thousands of retail workers, many of whom would have already made plans for this important public holiday.

“The retail sales figures for December show the failure of the extended Boxing Day trading experiment, with softer sales growth figures for the holiday season than the previous year, and many CBD stores recording declining sales,” he said.

The Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association state secretary Josh Peak has long campaigned against deregulated shop trading hours arguing it was an attack on retailer workers ability to take time off with their families.

“We are particularly concerned the Liberal Government is using a loophole to rob retail workers of a decent break over Easter,” Mr Peak said.

Mr Lucas said the decision follows the overwhelming success of a similar exemption granted for Boxing Day last year, which saw more than 130,000 people flock to suburban retailers right across Adelaide for post-Christmas sales, in addition to the CBD.