Defiant Premier Roger Cook says no to extended shopping hours in Perth as Basil Zempilas ignites debate

The Perth shopping hours war is heating up, with Premier Roger Cook emphatically ruling out revisiting the city’s antiquated retail trading hours before the next election. With West Australians expected to spend $260 million on the Boxing Day sales, Mr Cook rejected calls from the Opposition, business and the City of Perth to open shops longer throughout the year. Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas is challenging Mr Cook to run a three-month extended trading hours trial across the metropolitan area. This comes after WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam told The Sunday Times opening stores at 9am, instead of 11am, on Sundays would be an election promise. “Let’s put it to the test. Let’s see if people support later trade on weekend nights and an earlier start on a Sunday morning,” Mr Zempilas said. “I’m calling for a three-month trial after Australia Day until Easter to give everyone a sense of the true appetite for extended trade.” Mr Cook has made it clear he has no intention of revisiting Perth’s antiquated retail trading laws — not even the 11am start time on Sundays. “There are a whole range of things that impinge on that (9am shopping on Sundays) which includes that people will be dragged away from their families much earlier on a Sunday to open the shops,” Mr Cook told The West Australian. “My focus is on those small business owners — making sure that we have strong economic growth, so they have good demand. “Making them work longer at the moment isn’t really a thing they need.” In a clear point of difference between the Labor and Liberal parties, Ms Mettam revealed it was her intention to take a 9am, Perth Sunday shopping hours policy to next poll. Ms Mettam believes making people wait till 11am to shop in Perth on Sundays was ludicrous. “We are considering a staged deregulated trading hours policy to take to the next election,” Ms Mettam said last weekend. “It is my intention to support shops in the Perth metropolitan area opening on a Sunday at 9am instead of 11am.” The National Retail Association has called on the Cook Government to revisit Perth’s retail trading hours, saying “it is time the WA trading laws were reviewed to bring them in line with modern consumer behaviour”. The NRA estimates “close to $260 million” would have been spent during Boxing Day sales. In WA, respective country councils can set their own trading hours meaning regional communities can effectively open their shops when they like. But in Perth retail trading laws are decided by the State Government. And that means shops in Perth can’t open until 11am on a Sunday and have restricted shopping hours during the week. Bunnings can open earlier on a Sunday under a special exemption — although it can’t sell pet products here in WA. Former WA Premier Mark McGowan rejected calls for more trading hours — a view also held by the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association. Mr Cook denied he was beholden to the powerful union on shopping hour reform. “I haven’t spoken to the SDA on these issues,” Mr Cook said. Mr Cook said relaxing Perth’s trading hours over December was enough. “The last thing people want us to do is have those shop owners having to work more hours for essentially the same slice of the pie,” Mr Cook said. “I don’t see a need to increase shopping hours at the moment.”