Retail Drinks Australia has criticised the new Anzac Day Trading Hours Bill, which was passed by the NSW Government on 15 August and will require liquor stores to remain closed for the entirety of Anzac Day, starting next year.
Retail Drinks CEO, Michael Waters, said that while the bill was intended to promote greater recognition of Anzac Day, it poses a significant disadvantage to the liquor retail sector and disadvantages both business owners and employees.
“The NSW hospitality industry, including the packaged retail liquor sector, plays an important part in the way people commemorate Anzac Day, and we support sociability and people coming together responsibly however they may choose,” said Waters.
“While we support the bill’s intention to recognise the significance of Anzac Day, the bill unfairly disadvantages bottle shops, with around 80 per cent of the sector, or 2,400 stores, of which two-thirds are small to medium family owned and operated businesses, now unable to trade at all on Anzac Day.
“This bill not only impacts business owners and their customers on this important day, but also disadvantages up to 30,000 people working in our industry who freely choose to work on this day due to the penalty rates offered,” he said.
The bill creates an unfair playing field between on- and off-premise businesses, as well as between retail liquor outlets of differing sizes, as businesses classified as a small shop are permitted to open on Anzac Day.
“Even though the bill now forces 80 per cent of packaged liquor licences to close on Anzac Day, hotels, clubs, licensed restaurants, cafes and small bars will be able to trade with zero restrictions in place, as well as be able to sell takeaway alcohol because of the Government’s Vibrancy Reforms last year.
“For the 20 per cent of liquor retailers that can open, it is only because they are classified as a ‘small shop’ and employ four or less staff, but this creates much confusion for businesses and customers, especially when ‘small’ is defined differently depending on which NSW Government agency you are dealing with.
“What you will see is a business on one side of the road open and selling takeaway alcohol, with another on the other side of the road forced to remain shut, or worse, customers having to drive to the next town to purchase their favourite drinks because their local is forced to close. It’s completely unfair, discriminatory, and anti-competitive,” Waters said.
Waters said that this is one of many policies instituted by the NSW Government that fails to support the state’s businesses.
“Unfortunately, this is the latest in a growing list of NSW Government consultation and policymaking failures, demonstrating a lack of understanding and support for thousands of businesses, their employees and customers,” he said.
Retail Drinks is committed to continuing to advocate for a level playing field for the hospitality industry when it comes to Anzac Day trading hours.