Brian Connell MP
National Commerce Spokesman

8 April 2004

Parliament must determine shop trading hours

With Easter upon us, the annual shop trading hours debate has started up again but the Government continues to avoid making a decision on this issue, says National's Commerce Spokesman, Brian Connell.

"The recently debated Shop Trading Hours Bill made provision for trading on Easter Sunday but no decision was made, despite the fact that the House was in urgency to rush through legislation in time for the Easter break.

"The 'do nothing' option is simply a cop-out. This legislation must be voted one way or another to provide the commercial sector with certainty and consistency.

"The existing law is fractured, and the Sale of Liquor Bill, which allows wineries to trade on Easter Sunday, is just another example of its contradictory nature," he says.

"If the Shop Trading Bill was passed, the decision to trade would rest with businesses and with the public, who will decide whether or not to support businesses opting to open.

"National believes that the decision to trade on public holidays should lie with individual businesses, not with the Government," says Mr Connell.

ENDS

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