Frank Penhalluriack
Encyclopedia
Francis William Penhalluriack is most notable for opening his Glen Huntly, Victoria
hardware store outside of legislated trading hours.
Frank Penhalluriack's actions eventually led to a dramatic change in retail trading laws in Victoria, Australia.
Penhalluriack initially studied at Hampton High School. After Hampton High School was burnt down, he moved to Melbourne High School.
He subsequently graduated with a Bachelor's of Building from Melbourne University in 1962.
Penhalluriack stood unsuccessfully as an Australia Party
candidate for the federal seat of Chisholm
, in 1974
.
in the 1980s, fair trading laws limited retailers to trading during certain hours on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays. Certain types of retailers were exempt from these restructions, such as milk bar
s and service station
s. The name Frank Penhalluriack became synonymous with the term rebel trader, as he consistently ignored these laws, opening his hardware store outside of the legislated times. Melbourne talkback radio host and social commentator Derryn Hinch
quipped at the time, "You can get a screw on Sunday but you can’t get a screwdriver.", in reference to the fact that the Victorian government was legalising prostitution
at the same time they were enforcing the weekend trading laws with particular attention to hardware stores.
Officers from the department of Fair Trading repeatedly fined Penhalluriack for his breaches of the law, and the whole issue gained considerable local media attention. When Penhalluriack refused to pay, the courts compelled the police to auction his stock to raise funds to pay the fine; the auction was a farce, with grateful shoppers paying many times the market price for the goods auctioned. Eventually he was charged for his refusal to pay half a million dollars in fines associated with his trading hours. His attempt to serve a subpoena
on then premier
John Cain
at a public appearance led to a scuffle with a yelling crowd of about 30 Right to Life
demonstrators. Penhalluriack was convicted and spent 19 days in HM Prison Pentridge
.
In response to public pressure, the government changed retail trading laws in Victoria, Australia to permit weekend trading.
After the introduction of Sunday trading, Penhalluriack's media profile dropped dramatically.
Penhalluriack has an ongoing involvement in his local community, including acting as a Director of the Caulfield Park Bendigo Bank.
Penhalluriack continues to flout trading laws, opening his hardware store on Easter Sunday in 2005, under threat of a $10,000 fine. His stance has been quoted as follows:
Glen Huntly, Victoria
Glen Huntly is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira. At the 2006 Census, Glen Huntly had a population of 4085....
hardware store outside of legislated trading hours.
Frank Penhalluriack's actions eventually led to a dramatic change in retail trading laws in Victoria, Australia.
Penhalluriack initially studied at Hampton High School. After Hampton High School was burnt down, he moved to Melbourne High School.
He subsequently graduated with a Bachelor's of Building from Melbourne University in 1962.
Penhalluriack stood unsuccessfully as an Australia Party
Australia Party
The Australia Party was the name of a minor political party in Australia ....
candidate for the federal seat of Chisholm
Division of Chisholm
The Division of Chisholm is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Caroline Chisholm, a social worker and promoter of women's immigration. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne...
, in 1974
Australian federal election, 1974
Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 May 1974. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to a double dissolution...
.
Trading hours activism
In the state of VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in the 1980s, fair trading laws limited retailers to trading during certain hours on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays. Certain types of retailers were exempt from these restructions, such as milk bar
Milk bar
Milk bar is a term in some parts of Australia for suburban local shops or general stores. They are known as tuck shops, delicatessens or delis in South Australia and Western Australia, and as corner stores in Queensland and New South Wales...
s and service station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
s. The name Frank Penhalluriack became synonymous with the term rebel trader, as he consistently ignored these laws, opening his hardware store outside of the legislated times. Melbourne talkback radio host and social commentator Derryn Hinch
Derryn Hinch
Derryn Nigel Hinch is an Australian media personality best known for his work on Melbourne radio. He is currently the host of 3AW's drive time radio show...
quipped at the time, "You can get a screw on Sunday but you can’t get a screwdriver.", in reference to the fact that the Victorian government was legalising prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
at the same time they were enforcing the weekend trading laws with particular attention to hardware stores.
Officers from the department of Fair Trading repeatedly fined Penhalluriack for his breaches of the law, and the whole issue gained considerable local media attention. When Penhalluriack refused to pay, the courts compelled the police to auction his stock to raise funds to pay the fine; the auction was a farce, with grateful shoppers paying many times the market price for the goods auctioned. Eventually he was charged for his refusal to pay half a million dollars in fines associated with his trading hours. His attempt to serve a subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
on then premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
John Cain
John Cain II
John Cain , Australian Labor Party politician, was the 41st Premier of Victoria, holding office from 1982 to 1990.-Biography:...
at a public appearance led to a scuffle with a yelling crowd of about 30 Right to Life
Right to Life Australia
Right to Life Australia is an organisation which advocates pro-life positions in issues such as abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research.Right to Life was started in 1973 by Margaret Tighe as Right to Life Victoria...
demonstrators. Penhalluriack was convicted and spent 19 days in HM Prison Pentridge
HM Prison Pentridge
HM Prison Pentridge was an Australian prison built in 1850 in Coburg, Victoria. The first prisoners arrived in 1851. The prison officially closed on 1 May 1997....
.
In response to public pressure, the government changed retail trading laws in Victoria, Australia to permit weekend trading.
After the introduction of Sunday trading, Penhalluriack's media profile dropped dramatically.
Penhalluriack has an ongoing involvement in his local community, including acting as a Director of the Caulfield Park Bendigo Bank.
Penhalluriack continues to flout trading laws, opening his hardware store on Easter Sunday in 2005, under threat of a $10,000 fine. His stance has been quoted as follows:
- To me, shopping hours and trading days have nothing to do with the Government; it is a free enterprise system. The days I want to open and the hours I want to open are between me and my customers.
- "If you've got a burst pipe, what do you do - wait for 20 hours?"