Longer trading hours recommended for Cairns CBD businesses
SHOPS in Cairns’ city centre can open their doors longer on Sundays and public holidays under changes to trading hours recommended by the State Government.
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SHOPS in Cairns’ city centre would be able to open their doors longer on Sundays and public holidays under changes to trading hours recommended to the State Government.
A review of Queensland’s trading hours provisions has included Cairns in a list of tourist areas that are to have extended retail times, after a review found the state’s trading hours were too confusing to business operators and customers.
Under the reforms, tabled in State Parliament on Friday, traders within Cairns’ CBD would be allowed to open on Monday to Friday from 6am to 10pm, on Saturday from 7am to 10pm, and on Sunday and public holidays from 7am to 9pm.
The changes to trading hours legislation is to be brought to Parliament for a vote.
In the report from the parliament’s Finance and Administration Committee, chairman Peter Russo, MP for Sunnybank, wrote that the changes to trading hours were overdue.
“This is particularly so, given the changing dynamics of our society and requirements of consumers,” he said.
“We also need to ... address the challenges faced by digital disruption, particularly with the pending arrival of online stores such as Amazon.”
He said that tourist areas, including Cairns and Port Douglas, would have access to extended trading hours that met the needs for international and domestic visitors.
Earth Toys owner Brad Russell welcomed the reforms, but said it would not be feasible for small businesses such as his to open longer hours on Sunday and public holidays.
He said the only reason he was able to open his Oceania Walk toy store on Sundays was by working alone, without employing other staff.
“While it’s nice that the government will let me open longer, it just doesn’t work for small businesses,” he said.
“Sundays and public holidays are times when I would much prefer to be with my family.”
CONCERN FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS
Queensland’s peak business body has raised concerns that trading hours reforms will hurt small businesses.
As part of the reforms recommended by the State Government, hardware stores in Cairns — including Bunnings — would be allowed to open longer from Monday to Saturday, from 6am to 10pm, and from 6am to 9pm on Sundays and public holidays.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland, in its submission to the trading hours review, says that the state’s 414,000 small businesses were concerned about the monopoly of major market players and their dominance of the home hardware market.
The CCIQ says significant changes are needed to rectify the imbalance in market dominance of national chains.
Originally published as Longer trading hours recommended for Cairns CBD businesses
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