Individuals and businesses are today preparing for to celebrate Anzac Day on Tuesday, April 25.
Anzac Day is always celebrated on April 25, regardless of the day of the week it falls on and the day is recognised as a public holiday in all Australian states and territories.
However, each state has different rules about which businesses can trade on the day and at what time, causing confusion and prompting retailers to call for a more uniform approach.
Here’s a state-by-stage guide to the Anzac Day trading rules for each state and territory:
Victorian businesses are not permitted to trade between midnight and 1pm on Anzac Day, unless they fall into the category of “exempt shops”, which includes businesses with 20 or fewer employees or businesses with no more than 100 workers at any time in the seven days prior to Anzac Day.
All businesses are permitted to open after 1pm, provided they are not specifically forbidden from doing so.
Some shops are free to trade all day, including chemists, petrol stations, cafes, restaurants, takeaway outlets and hire outlets such as video stores.
Most businesses in NSW are also not permitted to open prior to 1pm on Anzac Day. However, exempt or small shops are permitted to trade, including bookshops, chemists, newsagencies, petrol stations and convenience stores.
There are also a number of exempt trading areas, based on local government areas.
Tasmanian businesses cannot open prior to 12.30pm on Anzac Day, although there are some exemptions.
Service stations, pharmacies and newsagents are permitted to trade, as are businesses that are not part of a shopping centre or mall, where the number of employees having worked there in any day during the previous March did not exceed 10.
Anzac Day is considered a normal trading day in the ACT, however, many businesses choose to following the same tradition as other states and opt not to trade prior to 1pm.
Many South Australian businesses are not permitted to trade before midday on Anzac Day, including those in the Adelaide central business district as well as hardware, furniture, floor coverings and motor vehicle parts businesses.
In the Greater Adelaide shopping district and other proclaimed shopping districts, non-exempt businesses are not permitted to trade on Anzac Day.
Exempt businesses include service stations, restaurants, cafes, real estate auctions and nightclubs and hotels where the main business is selling alcohol. However, these businesses are asked to remain closed until midday, according to SafeWork SA.
Independent shops are not permitted to open prior to 1pm on Anzac Day, unless they are predominantly food and/or grocery stores. Supermarkets are closed in particular areas, including the Gold Coast, Cairns CBD and Port Douglas.
Entertainment providers, including cinemas, amusement parks and sporting events are not permitted to trade prior to 1.30pm, unless they have express permission to do so.
Like most other states, some businesses are exempt from these trading regulations. These include businesses involved in printing, publishing and distributing newspapers, utility companies, mining businesses, those supplying milk, bakeries, cafes and takeaway food kitchens.
Like the ACT, Anzac Day is considered a normal day of trade in the NT. However, many businesses choose not to open prior to 1pm.
General retail shops and businesses in the Perth metropolitan area cannot trade on Anzac Day, with the exemption of small shops.
However, stores that are classified as “special retail shops” can trade between 6am and 11.30pm. These businesses include pharmacies, garden nurseries, hardware and home improvement businesses, newsagencies and bookshops, boating shops, shops at sporting venues and shops at international standard hotels.
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Editor
Eloise is an experienced business journalist and editor, who has held senior editorial roles at SmartCompany since 2014. Prior to joining SmartCompany, Eloise was news editor at Books+Publishing, the trade press for the Australian book industry. Eloise has degrees in media and communications, marketing and business management, and political science. You can follow her on LinkedIn, and Twitter at @ellykeating.
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