Perth’s antiquated shopping hours to be modernised if Liberals win March 2025 WA State election

Shops across Perth will open at 9am instead of 11am on a Sunday if Libby Mettam becomes premier.

The Liberal leader said she would take the new Sunday shopping policy to next year’s State election, setting the stage for a debate on Perth’s antiquated retail trading laws, which WA Premier Roger Cook refuses to modernise.

After floating her support for extended trading hours a year ago, Ms Mettam said the Liberals had agreed shops across the Perth metropolitan area should open earlier on a Sunday.

“Liberal governments, and the WA Liberal Party, have consistently continued a measured approach to deregulating shopping hours in Western Australia,” Ms Mettam said.

“And under our policy for 2025, we will extend Sunday opening hours to 9am.

“This is a sensible next step for metropolitan WA.

“It’s another step in the right direction.”

WA’s trading laws have become the laughing stock of Australia.

While shops in country WA can open whenever they want within council-approved shopping hours, the decision on when Perth shops can open and close rests with the State Government.

Under the current Labor Government regime, most shops in Perth can’t open on a Sunday until 11am, and must close by 5pm.

They can open at 8am on a Saturday, but also must close at 5pm.

And on weekdays, Perth’s shops can open at 8am, but must close at 9pm.

Mr Cook has emphatically rejected calls from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia and Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas — also a Liberal candidate for Churchlands — for more shopping hours in Perth.

Mr Cook’s position marries up with the position of the powerful SDA union, which also opposes more shopping hours for Perth.

And in an unexpected twist to the decades-old Perth shopping hours debate, the WA Nationals — who have always been bitterly opposed to more shopping hours in the WA capital — will go to next year’s election advocating 24/7 shopping in the Perth CBD in an effort to win city seats.

Ms Mettam said there was a “good argument” for full deregulation, but a 9am opening time for shops on a Sunday was “a sensible next step”.

“I appreciate that shopping hours is not top-of-mind for many West Australians, but we know in other States where there are more deregulated trading hours — such as Victoria and NSW — they still have a larger proportion of small businesses per capita to WA,” she said.

“So for anyone to suggest that such a policy would hurt small businesses is just wrong.

“This is a sensible next step in Perth progressing.

“It means that when we have special events in our city, or over a weekend in WA, that our overseas and interstate visitors can enjoy some Sunday shopping, as they would anticipate as they would in other jurisdictions.”

Ms Mettam said Mr Cook was beholden to unions.

“You can be certain that unions influence most decisions that the Labor Government make, whether it is who is premier or whether it is on key areas of policy,” Ms Mettam said.

Mr Zempilas said it was about time Perth’s shopping hours were extended.

“Extended trading hours will provide a huge boost for the City of Perth and beyond and help us to become a truly global city,” he said on Saturday.

Shadow minister for industrial relations Steve Thomas said it was time to modernise Perth’s trading laws.

“The world has changed around issues like work rosters, including fly-in, fly-out and the increase in online shopping, and it is time for our retail regulations to recognise that,” he said.

“Allowing shops to open at 9am on Sunday across the entire metropolitan region is a step in the right direction.”