Council Seeks Feedback on Changes to Retail Trading Hours

Published on 14 June 2018

City of Busselton Council will undertake stakeholder consultation to consider the level of community support for changes to the existing retail trading hours across the municipality. Historical factors have seen a difference in the existing trading hours between the town sites of Busselton, Dunsborough and Vasse. Council therefore seeks to determine the level of support for aligning the retail trading hours of all retail businesses across the City of Busselton municipality. Essentially this would involve extending retail hours to enable outlets to operate Monday to Sunday from 8.00am to 9.00pm inclusive of all public holidays including Good Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day - in line with current arrangements in Dunsborough.

City of Busselton Mayor Grant Henley said that change, if supported, will provide greater regional consistency and more flexibility for retailers. “Our town centres are expanding and visitor numbers increasing particularly with the arrival of large cruise-liners and the impending opening of the expanded airport. Lifestyle changes have seen a shift in attitudes toward shopping hours and there is a general expectation among a growing number of residents and visitors that retail outlets will be open longer. Council therefore seeks to ascertain whether or not the community and retail operators would support this change, noting that although general retail hours maybe extended, it is always up to the individual retailer to determine their own operating hours.”

The City will be inviting retailers and members of the public to provide feedback on the proposed changes through an online survey via the City’s Your Say Platform. The survey will also be available in hardcopy. The survey is expected to be available within the next fortnight. Informed by the outcomes of this consultation, the City will consider making application to the Minister of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety for a variation to the City of Busselton General Retail Trading Hours in accordance with the Retail Trading Hours Act 1987.

Objectives outlined in this statement are aligned with Key Goal Area 2 Places and Spaces: vibrant, attractive and affordable and Key Goal Area 4 Economy: Diverse, resilient and prosperous.

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