November 24, 2015
In good news for shoppers – but bad news for workers looking forward to a longer holiday break – major retailers in Kingaroy and Murgon have won the right to open on December 28.
The National Retail Association’s application to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission for a one-off amendment to trading hours in regional Queensland over the Christmas period was granted on Tuesday afternoon.
Major retailers such as Woolworths will now be allowed to trade on Monday, December 28, from 8:00am to 5:00pm.
Due to a quirk in this year’s holiday dates, major retailers in regional areas were facing a four-day closure over the 2015 Christmas period – December 25, 26, 27 and 28.
The situation arose as a result of the gazettal of the extra public holiday on Monday, December 28, when Boxing Day was due to fall on Saturday, December 26, coupled with prevailing trading hours arrangements.
In September, the National Retail Association (NRA) launched a bid for a special exemption.
NRA CEO Trevor Evans said there was always extremely high levels of consumer demand on Christmas Eve, and that the regions were expecting the same on Tuesday. December 29.
“That level of demand brings with it enormous congestion both inside and outside stores for shoppers, staff, and motorists, and creates unnecessary delays and inconvenience,” Mr Evans said.
Mr Evans praised the QIRC for its decision, which he said would also help to reduce the high level of spoilage experienced by retailers during closures of any more than two days.
The decision will also affect retailers and employees in Ayr, Blackwater, Bowen, Charters Towers, Childers, Chinchilla, Cloncurry, Ingham, Goondiwindi, Longreach, Mission Beach, Mt Isa, Pittsworth, Proserpine, Roma, Stanthorpe, Warwick and Weipa.
