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2. Extended Shopping Hours

The Western Australian government has, in the past, been threatened with withdrawal of commonwealth funding because it has not passed legislation to allow at least late trading each night, but ultimately to allow 24-hour trading. Thankfully, the people of this state voted decisively to not extend shopping hours when the matter was put to a vote in 2005, but pressure continues to be applied by big business with emotive descriptions of Perth being a backwater, and some retailers avoiding Perth because of the restrictive trading hours. Much of this language is designed to denigrate those who don't agree with the author's or speaker's position.

On www.thewest.com.au website today, the 5th of October 2009, the "legal chief" of Woodside, is reported to have said that "the lack of flexible shopping hours in Perth was hampering its efforts to attract international staff." Comments from Rob Cole, executive vice-president of Woodside suggest he thinks Perth isn't a "vibrant" city, and that changing the shopping hours will make it easier to "attract the world's best oil and gas talent to Perth," as if Australian talent isn't good enough.

Our own Premier, Colin Barnett, weighed in with "the point is for those people who do not like longer weeknight shopping, don't go shopping, don't stand in the way of those people who do want to shop on week nights."

Most big businesses will readily admit that extending shopping hours will not increase sales significantly, but it will increase costs, and those costs have to be borne by the customers. Western Australians should not be subject to such increases at the whim of other states. Neither should we be forced to have the cultural activities of other places just so that we can attract people.

There are several reasons behind the majority of votes being against extended shopping hours in the 2005 referendum. One is the continual push into time which was traditionally reserved for "family life." The more we demand inroads into such time the more society should be willing to accept responsibility for the consequences of that demand. Another is cost. When trading hours were extended in Melbourne in the late 90s there was an almost immediate spike in prices. I was there at the time and struggling on a low wage! Prices in Perth went up noticeably in advance of what many expected to be a government backdown on the shopping hours issue, so that it could later be claimed the change had had no impact on prices. That suggests those responsible thought the rest of the community was gullible, unthinking and unobservant. A third reason, for some of us, is the focus on "what's in it for ME" rather than what's best for society. To me, if someone is unable to do all the shopping that would normally be expected in the times that are already allowed (many shops are open 8am to 6pm Monday to Wednesday, 8am to 9pm Thursday, 8am to 6pm Friday and 9am to 5pm Saturday - a total of 61 hours) then either an unhealthy number of hours are being worked or the person is earning enough to pay for someone else to do the shopping. Add to that the move towards on-line shopping for many items, groceries included, and there shouldn't be a need to extend hours.

I have often suggested an alternative which would accommodate both camps, but it seems to be discarded all too easily.

That proportion of the voting population (59% at the 2005 referendum) which doesn't want extended trading hours MIGHT, and it could be a very big MIGHT, be willing to allow the other 41%, and the big businesses which are pushing so hard for it, to have the extended trading hours they crave so much if that minority is also willing to pay for the privilege. Adding 10% to the price of items bought after 6pm on a weekday, 25% after 5pm on Saturday and 50% for any time on a Sunday or public holiday will allow those of us who don't want extended hours to not financially support those who do. Under the "user pays" mentality, if you want the extended hours then pay for them. It wouldn't surprise me if this move would also result in many people finding they can organise their shopping time to fit in the current shopping hours, and the call for extension of those hours would dwindle to a trickle, or less, especially if the docket has a final line entry "premium for late trading" showing the extra cost.

© 2009 Steven Secker