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Opinion
Should Australia Bring back Sunday Closing?
Whether the justification is a religious one, a pure economic one or just an opportunity to go to the beach can be debated, but in all likelyhood Australia would be better off if shops were closed on Sundays.
The benefit of Sunday closing would be real and measurable, not only from a wellbeing perspective but also from an economic one.
Seven day trading is a classic example of "The tragedy of the commons", starting with a single retailer extending trading hours to get an advantage on the competition, that advantage doesn't last long as the competition is forced to follow and soon everyone opens seven days.
The unfortunate reality about the tragedy of the commons scenario is that it is effectively irreversible. Without external intervention, no individual retailer would voluntarily close Sundays because its business would not be able to compete. Everyone is now stuck paying 15% to 20% more wages forever, not to mention the other costs like electricity insurance etc..
There are simply no good economic arguments for seven day retail trading, because it does not alter the amount of money in circulation. The lack of opportunity to spend money on a Sunday - will not cause money to pile up in peoples homes.
Some might argue that jobs will be lost and while this might be true in the short term, all the money that was otherwise spent on Sundays will immediately create new job opportunities on the other days.
The argument is not just an economic one, people who have to work on Sundays miss out on valuable time with their friends and family, which can lead to unhappiness and stress. One day a week to relax and recover will almost certainly have positive effects on peoples health.
It is well understood that a society working to a synchronised beat operates more efficiently than one where everyone acts independently. Western economies were built on Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00 for a reason, it's predictable, repeatable and efficient. Nature itself runs on cycles — tides, seasons, circadian rhythms — synchronised rest is a deep pattern, not an arbitrary one.
Many countries and cultures around the world observe a day of rest a week and none have experienced economic or cultural collapse as a result.
Australia would benefit from having an honest debate about this issue and at the same time bring up the issue of aligning the public holidays in all states.
We are stronger and more efficient when we all march in step.
The benefit of Sunday closing would be real and measurable, not only from a wellbeing perspective but also from an economic one.
Seven day trading is a classic example of "The tragedy of the commons", starting with a single retailer extending trading hours to get an advantage on the competition, that advantage doesn't last long as the competition is forced to follow and soon everyone opens seven days.
The unfortunate reality about the tragedy of the commons scenario is that it is effectively irreversible. Without external intervention, no individual retailer would voluntarily close Sundays because its business would not be able to compete. Everyone is now stuck paying 15% to 20% more wages forever, not to mention the other costs like electricity insurance etc..
There are simply no good economic arguments for seven day retail trading, because it does not alter the amount of money in circulation. The lack of opportunity to spend money on a Sunday - will not cause money to pile up in peoples homes.
Some might argue that jobs will be lost and while this might be true in the short term, all the money that was otherwise spent on Sundays will immediately create new job opportunities on the other days.
The argument is not just an economic one, people who have to work on Sundays miss out on valuable time with their friends and family, which can lead to unhappiness and stress. One day a week to relax and recover will almost certainly have positive effects on peoples health.
It is well understood that a society working to a synchronised beat operates more efficiently than one where everyone acts independently. Western economies were built on Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00 for a reason, it's predictable, repeatable and efficient. Nature itself runs on cycles — tides, seasons, circadian rhythms — synchronised rest is a deep pattern, not an arbitrary one.
Many countries and cultures around the world observe a day of rest a week and none have experienced economic or cultural collapse as a result.
Australia would benefit from having an honest debate about this issue and at the same time bring up the issue of aligning the public holidays in all states.
We are stronger and more efficient when we all march in step.
