A "how to" , on the continuing dismantling of society.
On the other hand, the people fight back with local markets and trustworthy produce.

Is it really too much to expect people to realise trading hours have absulutely nothing to do with government in a free enterprise society. There should be no regulations or dictats as to when a business operator actually operates. Free enterprise for dummies.

Who are you kidding mate?
"For retail's scores of part time and casual employees, longer opening hours often mean being able to work shifts that suit them best."

What a load of steaming horse manure.
Show me one single job in the world where the employee gets to choose their own shifts? It is the boss who tells you when you will work. Hence why they want everyone to be casual. Work shifts are calculated for the employers benefit not the workers. Do you think we are stupid?

As for penalty rates. Did you think we had forgotten the call to remove or lower penalty rates that your types prattle on about constantly. The crys of "oh poor little cafe owner cant open on sunday because of those gouging baristas on penalty rates". Now it is vital for holiday trading. Get your hand off it mate.
Like I said total self serving, rent seeking, rightard horse manure.

Pretty much what passes for discourse on this so called debating forum these days. And they say the ABC is biased. Got nothing on OLO.

A pithy but thorough critique Mikk.

Well said.

Has no one realised that extended trading hours are costing consumers a fortune.

John Slater even highlighted this in his statement, " The year after Tasmania partially deregulated trading hours, total jobs in the sector increased by 8.3 per cent in one year alone – well above double the state's average".

Strange that a so called bright bloke can't see, [or doesn't want to see], that this means that the cost of retail trading went up by at least 10%, with the extra costs of lighting etc. added. Add in the cost of the extra super & workers compensation insurance alone & it was probably about 12% or more.

Now I wonder where the money to cover these extra costs came from. It could only have been covered by price increases, with perhaps a little increase in market share for the big traders, pinched from the small retailer & the corner store.

Tasmania, & most communities have a finite amount of spending capacity. They can only afford to buy a certain amount of groceries, or TVs for that matter. If stores are not open on Boxing day, people will spend their money on another day. Spreading the spend over more shopping hours simply increases costs, while disadvantaging the little bloke.

We were always told that technology & computerisation would ease our work load, & give us more leisure time. I wonder who found that to be the case?

Well its simple isn't it John, Let the liberals go to the next election on a ticket to abolish public holidays.

As other have said the attempt to remove trading hour restriction, and penalty rates are driven by greed, nothing to do for the benefit of us as a country.

The lowly serfs should know their place hey John.