A State Bill to implement the deal struck between Business SA and the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees' Association, proposing an increase in public holidays to create extended shopping hours in the city, has successfully passed Parliament.
The changes, which will come into effect from Easter 2013, mean that Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve will become public holidays between 7pm and midnight. The implication for SA employers, of course, is that they will face the additional cost of having to pay public penalty rates when their employees work at those times.
The move had been strongly opposed by a group calling itself the "SA Business Coalition", with members including the Australian Hotels Association and Clubs SA.
