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Show cause for Newcastle Show Day public holiday

  • December 10, 2014

Show cause for Newcastle Show Day public holiday

The Property Council and other business groups including the Australian Retail Association (ARA) have objected to a proposal to reinstate Newcastle Show Day as a public holiday.

Newly elected Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes will seek Council’s approval to apply to the NSW Minister for Industrial Relations for a full public holiday in the Newcastle LGA on Friday 6 March 2014.

Councillor Nelmes’ justification is that “Show Day had been a holiday for 100 years”. In fact, recent Council policy has been to explicitly support a Local Event Day which kept schools open and business trading.

The Newcastle Herald’s Editorial on 8 December 2014 described the concept of a Newcastle Show Day Public Holiday as an “anachronism in an age of increasing workforce flexibility.”

But most pundits expect Councillor Nelmes will use her casting vote to support Labor and The Greens and win support for her proposal. It is also likely that Lake Macquarie City Council will debate the same matter next week.

The Minister for Industrial Relations must be satisfied the council wanting a public holiday has consulted “with the affected community and other relevant stakeholders as to the impact … on businesses” in the area.

ARA Vice President and long time Hunter Street retailer Colin Scott is angry that the new Lord Mayor has ignored this requirement.

The Property Council’s NSW Regional Director Andrew Fletcher has also lamented the lack of consultation.

“Newcastle businesses became aware of the Lord Mayoral minute through media reports. There was no consultation on the cost impost to business.”

Mr Fletcher said the Property Council had already written to the Minister objecting to any application to gazette a half or full-day Local Public Holiday in deference to the Newcastle Regional Show.

He cited reports by The Callaghan Institute which found the cost to businesses across both LGA’s was over $30 million. The Newcastle Show Association’s own figures were also presented that showed no economic benefit or uplift in attendance flowed from a Local Public Holiday.

“Local council’s can’t expect their business community to carry a $30 million cost burden for less than 5% of workers to support the Newcastle Regional Show from losing $100,000 in gate takings.”

“The numbers simply don’t stack up – there is no public benefit to the Lord Mayor’s proposal.”