In fact, growth in the food retail sector was one of the few bright spots in the recently released retail trade figures.

However, there are common complaints from locals and tourists visiting Tasmanian cities and towns on public holidays that restaurants are closed and not catering for an obvious market.

It is pretty easy to see why.

The current Fair Work Act has frustrated many in the hospitality industry where casual staff make time-and-a-half on Saturdays, time-and-three-quarters on Sundays and double-time-and-a-half on public holidays on top of their 25 per cent casual loading.

In the recent words of celebrity chef George Calombaris, ''I've got staff claiming up to $40 an hour on Sundays, and it's not as if they've had to go to uni for 15 years.''

Calombaris added: ''The problem is that wages on public holidays and weekends greatly exceed the opportunity for profit.''

The federal government needs to understand that the current system is broken.

Who could blame any restaurant owner for not opening on a public holiday if they are faced with making a loss.

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten has a different view. He says that penalty rates compensate hospitality staff who work late nights, public holidays and weekends while everyone else gets to spend this time with family and friends.

What Mr Shorten needs to understand is that a closed restaurant means that nobody wins and the alternative of adding a 15 per cent surcharge for weekend food will drive away customers.

People who go into jobs with weekend and night work know the consequences and get some loading but double-time-and-a-half plus 25 per cent loading is unsustainable.

Mr Shorten needs to douse his future prime ministerial ambitions and desire to be the champion of the working class with a large dose of commonsense.

Penalising the job creators is penalising Australia - he needs to broker a compromise.

- MARTIN GILMOUR, editor