Release Date: 20/02/2012
The decision by Minister for Finance and Services, Greg Pearce, to refuse Lake Macquarie City Council’s bid for a public holiday for Newcastle Show was a victory for common sense, the President of Hunter Business Chamber, Richard Anicich said today.
“The Chamber has called on local councils for some years to consider the full impacts of seeking a public holiday for show day when both businesses and many employees lose financially.”
Mr Anicich said the decision by Lake Macquarie City Council was particularly difficult to understand when the host local government area of the show had preferred a local event holiday, which was also the position advocated by the Show Association president Roger Geary.
The Chamber had also worked with Charlestown MP, Andrew Cornwell in seeking this outcome. Mr Anicich said a regional approach was required to the Show Day issue and it would have been absurd to have seen the neighbouring local government areas adopting a different position with the resulting confusion and cost to business.
The Hunter Business Chamber was instrumental in making submissions to Lake Macquarie Council at the time of its initial decision and also advocating against accepting the Council’s request for the gazettal of a public holiday to the NSW Government.
The Minister is to be congratulated on this common sense decision, said Mr Anicich.