FAQ

With the City’s resident population increasing, the continued popularity of the district as a tourist and holiday destination and the impending opening of the new airport, Council determined that an investigation into trading hours is timely.  Lifestyles have changed along with community expectations in relation to retail experiences. The City seeks to ascertain the level of support for unifying trading hours for larger retailers across the district noting that currently there are significant differences between the main town sites of Busselton townsite, Dunsborough and Vasse, which largely impact on the opening hours of major retail outlets.

Bringing all trading hours across the region in line with those currently operating in Dunsborough.

I.e. Monday to Sunday from 8.00am to 9.00pm inclusive of ALL Public Holidays (including Good Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day).

These changes allow a retailer to trade during these times but the change does not mean that the retailer must open during these times, the retailer is still able to choose their opening times within the retail trading hours. 

Busselton townsite Retail Trading Hours (town)

· Monday – Friday 8.00am to 9.00pm;

· Saturday from 8.00am to 9.00pm;

· Sunday and Public Holidays from 8.00am to 9.00pm;

· Closed on Christmas Day, Good Friday and until 1.00pm on ANZAC Day.

Dunsborough Retail Trading Hours

· Monday to Sunday from 8.00am to 9.00pm inclusive of ALL Public Holidays (including Good

Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day).

By unifying all general retail trading hours across the City of Busselton local government district to reflect the current Dunsborough retail trading hours, assists in bridging the gap between the disparate trading regimes that exist between the Busselton townsite, Dunsborough and Vasse. This option also allows individual retailers to operate the hours of their choice, keeps the district of Busselton competitive in terms of retail opportunities, and reduces the potential leakage of retail spend to areas outside of the District that have more favourable trading regimes.

Currently small retailers (those that employ less than 25 staff) have unrestricted trading hours and can therefore open any time if they choose. Allowing larger retailers to open will enhance the opportunity for customers to spend more broadly, encourage more customers to the area and increase overall customer spending in the City of Busselton.

This allows for consistency and one set of trading hours for the same retail outlet in three different locations within the City. As a result, you will be more familiar with opening hours across the entire municipality.