Anzac Day is always celebrated on April 25, regardless of the day of the week it falls on and the day is recognised as a public holiday in all Australian states and territories. However, each state has different rules about which businesses can trade on the day and at what time, causing confusion and prompting retailers to call for a more uniform approach.

All businesses are permitted to open after 1pm, provided they are not specifically forbidden from doing so.

Some shops are free to trade all day, including chemists, petrol stations, cafes, restaurants, takeaway outlets and hire outlets such as video stores. Most businesses in NSW are also not permitted to open prior to 1pm on Anzac Day.

RSL National • Returned and Services League of Australia

However, exempt or small shops are permitted to trade, including bookshops, chemists, newsagencies, petrol stations and convenience stores. There are also a number of exempt trading areas, based on local government areas.

Tasmanian businesses cannot open prior to Service stations, pharmacies and newsagents are permitted to trade, as are businesses that are not part of a shopping centre or mall, where the number of employees having worked there in any day during the previous March did not exceed Anzac Day is considered a normal trading day in the ACT, however, many businesses choose to following the same tradition as other states and opt not to trade prior to 1pm.

Trading Hours – Australia Fair

Many South Australian businesses are not permitted to trade before midday on Anzac Day, including those in the Adelaide central business district as well as hardware, furniture, floor coverings and motor vehicle parts businesses.

In the Greater Adelaide shopping district and other proclaimed shopping districts, non-exempt businesses are not permitted to trade on Anzac Day.

Exempt businesses include service stations, restaurants, cafes, real estate auctions and nightclubs and hotels where the main business is selling alcohol. However, these businesses are asked to remain closed until midday, according to SafeWork SA.

Supermarkets are closed in particular areas, including the Gold Coast, Cairns CBD and Port Douglas. Entertainment providers, including cinemas, amusement parks and sporting events are not permitted to trade prior to 1. Like most other states, some businesses are exempt from these trading regulations.

These include businesses involved in printing, publishing and distributing newspapers, utility companies, mining businesses, those supplying milk, bakeries, cafes and takeaway food kitchens.

Like the ACT, Anzac Day is considered a normal day of trade in the NT.

However, many businesses choose not to open prior to 1pm. General retail shops and businesses in the Perth metropolitan area cannot trade on Anzac Day, with the exemption of small shops.

These businesses include pharmacies, garden nurseries, hardware and home improvement businesses, newsagencies and bookshops, boating shops, shops at sporting venues and shops at international standard hotels. Never miss a story: Eloise Keating is the editor of SmartCompany.

SmartCompany is the leading online publication in Australia for free news, information and resources catering to Australia's entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers. Monday to Friday, SmartCompany. Retail Anzac Day Individuals and businesses are today preparing for to celebrate Anzac Day on Tuesday, April Eloise Keating Eloise Keating is the editor of SmartCompany.

Trading hours – Garden City

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