Precincts strike back

PERTH’S major tourism retail precincts, the City of Perth and the City of Fremantle, are united in their views that deregulation of trading hours will have adverse effects on businesses and therefore the tourism value of their precincts.

Public submissions to the Western Australian Government’s review of retail trading hours close today, April 10, and the Government is expected to announce an outcome before it meets with the National Competition Council in June.

To date the Government has received 476 submissions.

The City of Perth and the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce have actively encouraged retailers in their precincts to write submissions detailing concerns they hold towards increased shopping hours.

The Fremantle Chamber of Commerce hired a full-time staff member to coordinate its anti-deregulation campaign and has received positive results according to chamber CEO John Longley.

“We are approaching 200 submissions but we have yet to do a final count. These are individual petition letters that we will be taking to our local member Jim McGinty,” he said.

“I have asked the person who has been coordinating that what the reaction is and she said that about 95 per cent of businesses she has visited have been strongly opposed to deregulation.

“Our message to Jim McGinty will be that first and foremost he is here to represent the people of his electorate and they have clearly stated that they do not wish him to support deregulation in parliament.”

Mr Longley said that the pressure was on the Government to look after an important faction of business in the State.

“If the Labor Party are not going to stand up against the major forces of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Property Council, Retail Traders Association, and the like, if the Labor Party won’t stand up for small business then who the heck will?” he asked.

“What frustrates me is the big end of town say they want a level playing field.

“Well I say you deliver that, small business can’t run off to a Federal system [for industrial relations] and they end up paying $30 to $35 an hour for staff while the big end of town deals with the unions and gets a cheaper deal.”

Mr Longley said that the City of Fremantle and the FCC’s members stood to lose their biggest tourism drawcard.

“In 1987 the Dowding Report said that it was in the public interest for tourism that there should be some seven day a week trading,” he said.

“What we stand to lose is a certain part of our culture and what this city is and what makes it attractive.

“It is not a tourism town with shops devoted to the tourism industry.

“We will lose our delicatessens, butchers, shoe shops and we will lose the retailing that attracts the general Fremantle populous and the same thing that attracts tourists.”

“What the State Government doesn’t seem to understand is that deregulation will impact the two main tourism icons in the metropolitan area by undermining the very  resources that attract people to go there in the first place.”

The City of Perth has raised similar concerns.

 City of Perth CEO Frank Edwards said that WA did not have the critical mass in local population or tourism to support deregulation of all retail categories across the metro area.

“To extend Friday evening and Sunday trading across the metropolitan area would jeopardise the hard-earned position built up by the city retailers and remove one of the city’s big selling points,” he said.

“A strong and distinctive retail base helps promote a vibrant capital city and has spin-offs for the tourism and entertainment sectors. This benefits all Western Australians.”

The Perth City Council moved a motion on Tuesday night to formally advise the State Government that it sup-ported the retention of the current trading hours status.

Included in the council’s recommendation was a view that city trading would decline, there would be a loss of consumer choice, reduced employment opportunities, a negative impact on property values, and a loss of secondary trader market share.

“The loss of significant competitive advantage of Sunday trading would mean not only retailers but also secondary traders such as restaurants and entertainment providers stand to lose market share if deregulation goes ahead,” the recommendation says.