Opposition Leader Mark McGowan is being "sneaky" by promoting an opt-out provision for workers under proposed Sunday trading laws, the government says.
Among his first acts as leader after being elected yesterday, Mr McGowan overturned Labor's opposition to extended Sunday trading.
But he wants an opt-out provision for workers who do not want to work on Sundays and says he is keen to talk to Premier Colin Barnett to come up with a bipartisan approach to the issue.
"My ultimate aim is to get Sunday trading in place as soon as possible," Mr McGowan told reporters today.
"It's really in Mr Barnett's court now if he wants to get on and do it."
Mr McGowan said if an opt-out clause was not possible for workers "then it won't happen".
He said he thought the issue of Sunday trading would dog Labor up to the next election in early 2013 and he wanted to do what he thought was right for the people of WA.
But acting Commerce Minister Troy Buswell said Mr McGowan was engaged in a "sneaky attempt at reform" with his Sunday work opt-out provision aimed at appeasing unionists.
"This charade that he will try to get Colin Barnett to introduce this condition is a nonsense.
"It was just a sneaky bit of window dressing."
Mr Buswell said Mr McGowan should know that the vast majority of employees who would work on Sundays would be covered by the federal government's industrial relations system.
Mr Buswell said the government had been stymied up till now in getting Sunday trading laws through because of Labor Party opposition.
But he said the premier had indicated he would introduce legislation as soon as possible to try to achieve that.
