Boxing Day Retail Trading

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-104601

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

Boxing Day Retail Trading

Priority

Dr GEOFF LEE (Parramatta) (15:38:06):

I move:

That this House supports Boxing Day retail trading across the State.

In September 2017 the New South Wales Parliament passed legislation to permanently give retailers, employees and consumers the freedom to trade, work and shop on Boxing Day while at the same time ensuring that there were strict safeguards in place to protect workers and retailers. The Government's priority is always to reassure New South Wales citizens that people may only work on Boxing Day if they have volunteered to do so. Commencing in October and running through to December 2017, the Government undertook a widespread campaign across New South Wales to educate and advise retailers and workers about how they would be affected by the new Boxing Day trading law.

Boxing Day is an important trading day because it gives people choice. Members on this side of the House are all about choice. This is about choice for retailers and whether they choose to open on Boxing Day. It is about choice for employees and whether they want to work on Boxing Day. Some people want to work on Boxing Day because it gives them a desired added income. Most importantly, the changes give consumers and shoppers the choice to shop on Boxing Day. Some years ago people were in cars lined up around the block to enter the car park at Westfield Parramatta, only to discover after waiting for hours that they could not shop there because it was prohibited. That drove the people of Western Sydney into the Sydney central business district to shop. Retailers in the CBD and eastern suburbs benefited from the economic boom, but retailers and consumers in Western Sydney suffered as a result. This is an equity issue in terms of the geographic distribution of available shopping opportunities across the State.

Some people love shopping. They use it as a form of relaxation and socialisation or to grab a bargain on Boxing Day. No-one is telling anyone that they have to shop or they have to work. It is their choice. The Government knows that the changes are keeping valuable dollars in our regions and creating a new tradition for consumers in the New South Wales retailing landscape. As previously stated, in the past retail trading was only allowed at most shops on Saturday mornings and Thursday nights. That was then changed to seven-day trading. We have made an important change to allow retailers to trade on Boxing Day. It has become a tradition that families can go out and spend time together shopping for leisure or shopping for bargains on Boxing Day.

The Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, and member for Hornsby, has done wonderful work to give consumers up to three years to redeem gift certificates. Boxing Day is a good day to redeem those certificates. It is also a good day to exchange unwanted presents to things that are truly desired. I do not receive too many presents that are not required, but I get the odd set of steak knives on occasion. The experience at Parramatta has been very successful and positive for retailers. I see the member for Granville nodding in furious agreement. The member for Granville often goes shopping at Parramatta. She is to be commended for spending her money there and supporting Boxing Day retail trading. It is wonderful that the member is as passionate about Parramatta as she is about Granville. This is an important motion to support Boxing Day retail trading across the State. As a retailer for some 10 years, I can say wholeheartedly that retailers want to trade longer hours to generate valuable income in increasingly tough times. I commend the motion to the House.

Mr RYAN PARK (Keira) (16:03:19):

Let me say from the outset that the Opposition will be opposing this motion. We will always stand up for the working men and women who dare to ask for the odd day off each year. Let us look at who we are talking about here. It is funny, but if you drive past this place on Boxing Day it is closed. If you drive past our electorate offices on Boxing Day they are closed. In fact, most government departments are closed on Boxing Day. But members on the other side of the House believe it is okay for workers who get very little income—who are some of the lowest paid—to have to work on Boxing Day.

What does working on Boxing Day mean for those people? I heard members opposite say that it means some extra income. But let us look at what else it means. Having to work on Boxing Day means that those men and women cannot travel any distance to attend family functions on Christmas Day. It means that those men and women also cannot get in their car and drive a few hours to visit friends, family or loved ones on what is traditionally a day of rest and celebration when we gather around to eat leftovers and enjoy being in the company of those we love the most.

I do not think we have a shortage of days to shop. In fact, in 2018 there have been more shopping opportunities than ever before. Coupled with that is the fact that people can get online and do their shopping 24/7 to their hearts' content. But this is not about that. We are opposed to Boxing Day trading based on fairness. If we can have a break at Christmas and spend some time with our family and loved ones, the Opposition believes the workers who stock the shelves in our local supermarket, man the cash registers or help us decide what clothes, goods or gifts to purchase, deserve a break on Boxing Day. They also have a right to spend some time with family, loved ones and friends.

We make no apologies for standing up for working men and women; in fact, that is what we do and it is what we will always do. It is a very easy decision for us to oppose Boxing Day trading and we will continue to oppose it because we believe that those men and women, regardless of where they work—whether it is for a big retailer, in a small corner shop, at a local surf shop in a busy arcade or somewhere in a regional area selling clothes and helping people to buy a new outfit—have worked hard enough to have a couple of days off at Christmas. These days, when there are multiple parents in blended family situations, Christmas is also a time when we should think of those people who have to visit mum and dad in separate locations, perhaps in separate parts of the State. I believe those people deserve time to do that just as much as people who live around the corner from their in‑laws, parents, family or friends.

Labor opposes Boxing Day trading because Labor believes in fairness. Labor opposes Boxing Day trading because it believes that if it is good for the men and women of this House to have a break on Boxing Day it is also good for the men and women who stock shelves in supermarkets, who man cash registers and who help us get a gift for a family member, friend or loved one. That is why Labor members will always oppose Boxing Day trading and it is why we will change the legislation if elected in March next year.

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (16:08:42):

What we have seen today is the big difference between this Government and members opposite. If a Labor government is elected, which will not happen, there would be a winding back of Boxing Day retail trading. Labor would wind back Boxing Day retail trading, and possibly also late-night shopping and Sunday trading. That would mean fewer jobs and less take-home pay and be a real attack on working families across this great State. For many years we have had Boxing Day retail trading in Sydney's central business district; it has worked and it has worked brilliantly. It is a win for shoppers, for shopkeepers and for the Christmas casual workers who just want to earn a little bit of pocket money on Boxing Day so that they can pay for their TAFE course or put money towards university or school. I was one of those Christmas casuals working at Myer some 20-odd years ago. On Boxing Day I was able to get a little bit of extra money to put towards school or university or—better still—board.

At the end of the day it is about freedom of choice—for shopkeepers and shoppers. It is a win for the regions and it is a win for our suburbs that have Boxing Day retail trading. New South Wales has had one of the lowest unemployment rates of any State for 40 straight months. The national rate of unemployment, including in New South Wales, is 5 per cent. New South Wales has added more than 558,000 jobs since 2011. That is a terrific result for our State—the lowest unemployment rate since March 2008. There is a jobs boom around the nation and it is starting here in New South Wales. The changes to retail trade have gone a long way to helping our economy. The biggest threat to our jobs and to our children's jobs is the economy‑killing policies of NSW Labor. Since the election in 2015, employment in New South Wales has increased by 360,000—more than double the target of 150,000. We are rebuilding the economy.

Ms Anna Watson:

This is supposed to be about Boxing Day.

Mr MARK COURE:

You should have been here from the very beginning.

Ms Anna Watson:

I was. I have been outside listening.

Mr MARK COURE:

You were outside, missing in action, just like Labor's economic policies.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

I remind the member for Shellharbour that she is on three calls to order.

Mr MARK COURE:

We have rebuilt the economy following Labor's shambolic mismanagement.

Mr CLAYTON BARR (Cessnock) (16:11:41):

I commend members opposite for standing up today and giving us their views in support of Boxing Day trading. While they were on their feet I thought I would take the opportunity to look at their websites for any profound statements of support for Boxing Day trading. I typed in the words "Geoff Lee, MP, Parramatta Boxing Day." There is not a single reference on the entire internet to his support for Boxing Day trading.

Mr Mark Coure:Hansard

There will be after today. It's called .

Mr CLAYTON BARR:

I'm coming to you, member for Oatley. Don't leave the House. I thought, "Wow, isn't that interesting?" The member who is moving this motion is very supportive of Boxing Day trading, but there is not a single mention on the internet about his support. I thought that maybe the member for Oatley had some profound statements on his website or Facebook or Twitter account about Boxing Day trading. I did a similar search for him and what did I come up with? He put out a media release saying, "I know things are tough after the Christmas and Boxing Day sale period and financially things might be a challenge", et cetera. The logic of the member for Oatley is to acknowledge that there is financial stress after the Christmas and New Year period, give people advice about finding support and at the same time say that the shops should open for Boxing Day trading so they can get themselves into more debt.

I then thought that maybe the Premier has something on her web page about supporting Boxing Day trading. I went to the Premier's website and there is not a single mention about her supporting Boxing Day trading. I listened intently to the member for Oatley a few moments ago. He spoke about the importance of the extra money that could be earned on Boxing Day, but what did he say about the reduction in penalty rates that the Federal Government introduced? He did not say that is a bad thing; he said that is a wonderful thing and we should do more of it.

.Time expired

The same member was just addressing the House and professing his support for Boxing Day trading and for the extra money that people can earn through the penalty rates applied on Boxing Day. It is a staggering lacuna of logic that Government members support Boxing Day trading while out in their electorates, on their web pages and in their local communities there is not a single mention of the issue. Hundreds of thousands of retail workers will be forced to work this year on Boxing Day. But is it not only Boxing Day; on Christmas Day they will be forced to go in and make preparations for the Boxing Day sale. They have completely lost their family time. There are two sides to the argument, but only Labor will remove the ridiculous compulsory Boxing Day trading [.]

Dr GEOFF LEE (Parramatta) (16:15:07):

In reply: I thank members representing the electorates of Cessnock, Keira and Oatley for their contributions to the debate—some good and some not so good. I will start with the not-so-good contributions. The premise of the argument advanced by the member for Keira is incorrect. The assertion he made is wrong for the simple reason that people have to volunteer to work on Boxing Day. Employees have a choice whether to work. If they choose to work, they will gain extra money. They may choose to make a productive contribution to the family household. If they choose not to work, they can spend time with their families. Members on this side of the House are fully aware of the need for work/life balance. It is about choice: People have the choice to earn extra income to add to the family household or they can choose to spend time with their family. The premise of the member's argument is wrong and therefore it does not carry much weight.

HansardHansard

The member for Cessnock, who is good on Google, said that I had not previously mentioned Boxing Day trading. I will have to go back and check the . From my recollection, I spoke about the introduction of Boxing Day retail trading because Parramatta was one of the test sites when the trial was introduced in the last Parliament prior to September 2017. I am happy to get back to the member for Cessnock and identify the relevant speech in . In contrast to the member for Keira and the member for Cessnock, the member for Oatley understands the salient points in this motion and this debate. The member for Oatley summed it up with the expression: It is about choice.

It is a win for the retailers if they want to trade and generate economic revenue. It is a win for employees if they choose to work and increase their income. The member for Oatley was one of those workers who chose to work on Boxing Day to earn extra money. In my view, it is also a win for shoppers. It is demanded by shoppers. People in Western Sydney no longer have to go to the Sydney central business district to shop and the revenue stays in the Western Sydney region, where it belongs. Shoppers can take pleasure in shopping. I commend the motion to the House.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER:

The question is that the motion as moved by the member for Parramatta be agreed to.

The House divided.

Ayes46

Noes32

Majority14

Motion agreed to.