The State's peak business organisation, the NSW Business Chamber, is calling on Opposition Leader Michael Daley to support the millions of shoppers, businesses and employees across NSW who benefit from Boxing Day Trade.
"Last year's Boxing Day sales sat close to $750 million for NSW, significantly contributing to the NSW economy and making it critically important to both retailers and their staff," Mr Cartwright said.
"Boxing Day shopping has become a community expectation, and shoppers are demanding that it should continue. Why does Mr Daley want to ban something that is important for businesses and their employees, and is something that the people of NSW clearly enjoy?
"It was only recently that all shops across NSW were given permission to trade on Boxing Day, extending this benefit to everyone across the State.
"Now, however, we have this 'union driven' thought bubble from Mr Daley that would overturn what was a common sense decision, providing state-wide benefits to shoppers, businesses and employees.
"A decade ago, NSW was the worst performing state economy in the nation, with unemployment at unacceptably high levels. We are now the clear Number 1 economy, with unemployment down to 4.4% and the best youth unemployment levels in living memory, so why does the Opposition Leader seem determined to take us back to the bad old days by threatening to shut down the economic activity that created all of these jobs?
"Banning Boxing Day trade will not only hurt the NSW economy but it will deprive thousands of small businesses and workers who rely on the extra income earned by opening on this day," Mr Cartwright said.
