I was away on Monday so missed the special episode of Elevenses hosted by Chris Burns dealing with the vexed issue of Sunday trading in Mount Isa.
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Apologies to our viewers for the technical difficulties at the start but the episode did make important points.
Member for Mount Isa Robbie Katter put the case for the status quo warning people to be “careful what you wish for” and it would not be beneficial for the local economy to enable the big two retailers to open on Sunday.
Local businessman and former deputy mayor Brett Peterson argued that change was necessary as a small business owner and as a resident and local consumer.
Mr Peterson said the tough economic times meant small business needed to be innovative and re-invent themselves to survive and flexible opening hours were an important part of the mix.
His view seems to be supported by the general public in town with our (unscientific) opinion poll showing three in four people support Sunday trading.
As for me, I’m a bit torn on this issue.
As a consumer, it is a no-brainer for convenience – yes the shops should be allowed to open on Sunday.
Like many people in our community, I work on weekends and miss the ability I had in other places to shop on Sunday where necessary.
But I also understand that smaller retailers rely on their Sunday traffic to survive and also I am concerned for the employees that would most likely have to work more hours on Sunday.
With the government reducing penalty rates for Sunday, I’m not sure they will properly recompensed for their loss and while smaller retailers go out of business, the big duopoly will garner all the profits.
However, it also raises a bigger question over why we need trading hours at all.
If a business wants to open on Sunday afternoon or 3am on a Thursday, why should anyone be able to stop them?
Many states have deregulated shopping hours but Queensland remains the most restrictive in terms of what and when shops can and can’t do.
Many it’s time to get the state out of the way of business – but make sure the rights of workers are protected. Derek Barry