
Bottle shops react to Aussie state's 'unfair' trading ban on Anzac Day
Australia's national drinks body has slammed a 'discriminatory' mandate that means bottle shops in NSW will be closed on Anzac Day for the first time.
Updated laws from the state government will not allow retailers to open on April 25, with trading set to resume on Saturday morning.
Retail Drinks Australia criticised the change of legislation as 'unfair, discriminatory, and anti-competitive laws' in a statement this week.
The body said the move will impact up to 2,400 liquor retailers across the state, the majority of which are small, family-owned businesses.
'Our members have retailed responsibly and respectfully on this day for decades, servicing their local communities,' CEO Michael Waters said.
'They respect the significance and importance of Anzac Day.
'People taking part in Anzac Day should be able to commemorate however they choose, whether [that is] attending community ceremonies, joining family and friends at a BBQ, or having a quiet drink remembering old mates.'
Mr Waters wants bottle shops to open from 1pm, as they have previously done, to ensure consistency, maintain employee protections and support small businesses.
Retail Drinks Australia said more than 100 exemption applications lodged with NSW Fair Trading have been rejected.
Applicants have reportedly been told they do not meet 'exceptional circumstance' or 'public interest' thresholds.
'We've appealed to the Premier for fairness. We've called on the Minister for Industrial Relations for common sense,' Mr Waters said.
'We're asking the Government to let people live their lives and to be fair and balanced when making laws. The current situation discriminates against bottle shops and makes life unnecessarily harder for people in this state with no clear benefit.'
The NSW Government introduced the law in July last year, hoping it would inspire more people to use the day to honour the memory of those who died in service.
Premier Chris Minns has previously justified the decision, saying 'no occasion could be more solemn or significant than Anzac Day'.
'It might be inconvenient for a few hours, but closing our biggest corporate shops for a single day is a small price to pay for living in a free and open democracy,' he said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the NSW Government for further comment.
The change was made after a public consultation, which ran from September to October 2023, garnered strong support from veterans, veterans' organisations and the public.
The legislation change will also affect other retailers which were previously allowed to open from 1pm, including department stores and supermarkets.
Exemptions are in place for other venues including markets, small retailers, bars, cafes, chemists, newsagents and takeaway restaurants.
Dan Murphy's and BWS stores attached to ALH Hotels across NSW will also be exempt and will trade in line with the hotel's licence.
NSW isn't alone in enforcing full Anzac Day closures. Queensland supermarkets will be shut all day, except for Brisbane Airport's Woolworths, which opens at 1pm.
Most Dan Murphy's and BWS stores in other states will trade from 1pm on Anzac Day, except those attached to ALH Hotels, which will trade in line with the hotel's licence.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Wales Online
31 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Live spending review updates as chancellor Rachel Reeves to announce plans
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will today lay out the UK Government's spending plans for the upcoming years as it is expected Wales will get £445m to spend on rail. The expectation is that the chancellor will announce at least £445m will be spent on rail projects in north and south Wales on fixing level crossings, building new stations, and upgrading existing lines. Not only is it important for the UK Labour government to take back control after weeks of negative headlines but it is a key statement for Eluned Morgan's team in Cardiff Bay as they waits to hear if its pleas to Labour colleagues in London will be heeded as they count down towards the Senedd election in May 2026. A spending review is the process the government uses to set all UK Government departments' budgets for future years for both everyday spending on things like the NHS, schools, and transport but also how the government will invest in research, energy security, and infrastructure to drive economic growth across the country. It is led by chancellor of the exchequer Ms Reeves and chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones. This is the second part of the chancellor's spending review. The first was her budget in October 2024. Today's announcement will cover how much funding each government department will receive for day-to-day spending (revenue) across three financial years until 2028-29 as well as investment spending (capital) for those years as well as 2029-30. It is widely expected the NHS and defence will get big boosts with energy, transport, and other infrastructure projects getting a chunk of capital too. As most of the Welsh Government's budget comes from the UK Government then if spending for health, for example, is boosted for England it will result in Wales getting a bump in its budget because when England-only spending is announced a funding process called the Barnett Formula kicks in and Wales gets what is known as a consequential payment. Ms Reeves is expected to begin her statement laying out the results of this review in the Commons at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, June 11. Scroll down for live updates below and remember you can get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here:

The National
an hour ago
- The National
How and when to watch Rachel Reeves's Spending Review
The review, which will set out day-to-day spending plans for the next three years and capital spending plans for the next four, is also expected to see money for the Acorn carbon capture project near Peterhead. Charities have urged the Labour Chancellor to go further on tackling child poverty, but no reports have said she will address the issue, instead focusing on funding boosts for the NHS, defence, and schools. READ MORE: These key economic truths show how independent Scotland and Wales can succeed It is likely to involve squeezes for other Government departments as the Chancellor seeks to keep within the fiscal rules she has set for herself. Her room for manoeuvre has also been further constrained by the Government's U-turn on Winter Fuel Payments, which will see the benefit paid to pensioners receiving up to £35,000 per year at a cost of around £1.25 billion to the Treasury. The full details will be revealed in the Commons on Wednesday, but several announcements have already been made. They include: £15.6 billion for public transport projects in England's city regions. £16.7 billion for nuclear power projects, including £14.2 billion for the new Sizewell C power plant in Suffolk. £39 billion over the next 10 years to build affordable and social housing. £445 million for upgrades to Welsh railways. £250 million over three years as part of the first phase of the Faslane nuclear base redevelopment. £750 million for a supercomputer in Edinburgh. The Chancellor is also expected to announce changes to the Treasury's 'green book' rules that govern whether major projects are approved. The Government hopes that changing the green book will make it easier to invest in areas outside London and the South East. What time is Chancellor Rachel Reeves's Spending Review? The Chancellor's statement is expected to begin at the despatch box at Westminster at around 12.30pm on Wednesday. It will begin immediately after Prime Minister's Questions, which will take place in the Commons from midday. How to watch Chancellor Rachel Reeves's Spending Review? The full statement will be streamed live on the Westminster Parliament's website. You can find the stream here. The questions to the Chancellor from MPs will also be shown in full on the Parliament stream It is also likely that the rolling news channels, such as Sky News and BBC News, will show the Spending Review statement. However, they will normally cut off before showing all of the MPs' questions.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Winter fuel payments: Am I eligible and how much can I get?
In the latest U-turn after months of backlash, the government has announced a massive expansion of who will receive winter fuel payments. After weeks of speculation over what the changes would look like, it has now been confirmed that 9 million pensions will be eligible for the payment - a huge uplift from the 1.5 million pensioners who received the payment in winter 2024-25. Here, The Independent looks at how the new system will work and who will be affected by the uplift. How many people did the winter fuel payment cut affect? The winter fuel payment is a state benefit previously given to all pensioners to help with energy costs during the coldest months of the year. The decision to means-test the previously universal payment was one of the first announcements by Rachel Reeves when she became chancellor after Labour's landslide election victory last year, and it has been widely blamed for the party's collapse in support. The government has insisted the policy was necessary to help stabilise the public finances, and meant that the payment would only go to those on low incomes who received specified benefits such as pension credit. This meant the number of pensioners receiving the payment was reduced from 11.4 million to 1.5 million. Several charities, MPs and unions criticised the decision, with some blaming it for the party's disappointing local election results. In November, it was revealed that the government's own figures indicated it would force 100,000 pensioners into poverty in 2026. How was the payment linked to pension credit? Only those who claim pension credit were able to receive the winter fuel payment in winter 2024. Those who are above state pension age and have an income of less than £218.15 a week, or less than £332.95 as a joint weekly income with your partner, are eligible for pension credit. However, despite the government's campaigns and an increase in claims after the July 2024 announcement, it is estimated that half a million eligible people fail to claim the benefit. How will the new system work? The government has increased the threshold at which people over the state pension age become eligible for the payment, meaning that anyone with an income of or below £35,000 will receive it this winter. The government estimates that the new threshold will ensure that more than three quarters of pensioners in England and Wales - around 9m people - will receive the benefit. It is estimated that around 2 million pensioners in England and Wales have taxable incomes above £35,000 and will therefore be exempt. The payment of £200 per household, or £300 per household where there is someone over 80, will be made automatically this winter, meaning no pensioner will need to take any action in order to receive the payment. Those with incomes above the threshold will see the payment automatically recovered via HMRC, or they have the option to opt out. However, details of how this will work are yet to be confirmed. Ministers estimate the change will cost the taxpayer £1.25bn in England and Wales, saving around £450m compared to when the winter fuel payment was universally available. The Treasury has not yet set out how it will pay for the uplift, but has insisted the costs will be accounted for at the autumn budget and incorporated into the next OBR forecast. They have also promised it will not lead to permanent additional borrowing.