Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development The Honourable Shannon Fentiman Tuesday, October 02, 2018 Boost for women in business Australia’s largest food and drink incubator is one of 15 small businesses run by women that will benefit from more than $550,000 in Queensland Government grants. Minister for Employment […]
As a member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National Retail Association has been working on policies that improve the workforce participation of a diverse range of groups that often struggle to secure work. People with disability is one such group. We are helping the Government to be better informed about what […]
Western Australia’s proposed reforms to restaurant and on-premises liquor licensing strike a sensible balance and should be used as the template for proposed changes to packaged liquor sales, according to Australia’s most representative retail industry association. The National Retail Association (NRA), representing close to 20,000 stores nation-wide, commended the State Government on its consultation process […]
The Queensland Government has announced additional employer incentives for employers. 1 January, the Government is offering payments of up to $20,000 for businesses to take on Mature Age Workers, through its Back to Work program Qld Government will be bringing around two of Youth Boost forward. The Honourable Shannon Fentiman said more will be done […]
After what seems like an eternity, the penalty rates issue flared again this week, after the Senate passed measures to reverse the decision of the independent umpire, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to reduce Sunday and public holiday rates. Labor teamed up with the Greens and some crossbenchers to pass amendments to the Government’s bill, […]
Two weeks ago I wrote to you about the New South Wales Government’s reforms to gift cards, extending the minimum validity period to three years. As I said at the time, the NRA was not supportive of the changes, but we understood the government’s motivation in terms of protecting consumers and helping them to maximise […]
Have your say on the future of your region’s tourism workforce Jobs Queensland worked extensively with industry stakeholders to develop the Queensland Tourism Workforce Plan 2017–20. Launched on 20 July 2017 by the Minister for Training and Skills, the Honourable Yvette D’Ath, the Plan outlines strategies to meet the opportunities of a growing tourism sector […]
The ACT Government has introduced legislation to amend the Holidays Act to establish a Reconciliation Day public holiday. The first Reconciliation Day holiday will be on 28 May 2018. The Reconciliation Day public holiday will be an opportunity for the Canberra community to come together in the spirit of reconciliation to recognise and celebrate the […]
The Government has announced that it intends to bring the Vulnerable Workers Bill (the Bill) before Parliament in the final sitting of the financial year before going on its winter break. The Bill was passed by the House of Representatives on 11 May 2017. It is now pending approval by the Senate. Typically, Parliament House […]
We had high hopes for this year’s Federal Budget, delivered in the midst of major challenges to the retail landscape, including weaker retail sales over three of the past four quarters, and an ever-increasing influx of overseas competitors. Despite it following the tough medicine approach of 2014 that sent shockwaves through retail, and the next […]
by Alex Millman, NRA Legal Victorian Government announces worker mental health assistance program On 11 April 2017, the Andrews Victorian government unveiled its new program to assist employers in managing mental health in the workplace, WorkHealth. Launched jointly by Minister for Finance Robin Scott and Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley, WorkHealth includes an online […]
MEDIA RELEASE The National Retail Association (NRA) has warned that Labor’s private members bill, introduced to parliament today to block the Fair Work Commission’s reduction in Sunday penalty rates, sets a dangerous precedent for all independent ruling bodies across the nation. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said that leveraging political interests to undermine the independence of […]
The Queensland Government’s assistance program for regional Queensland employers to take on new staff has put more than 1500 staff ‘Back to Work’. The $100 million Back to Work program has already assisted 1557 Queenslanders into jobs in the state’s regions, with another 300 applications pending assessment. Significantly, 541 of those assisted through Back to […]
This week, the Federal Opposition has indicated it will move a private members bill to retrospectively legislate against any cuts to penalty rates, after the independent Fair Work Commission’s ruling of a reduction in five out of the 122 modern awards. While it was an entirely independent decision, made by a Commission who thoroughly examined […]
jobactive PaTH starts April 1st Retail is an important industry for young people seeking an entry-level job. Retail is the industry most likely to employ a young person and teach them transferable employability skills. jobactive PaTH is a new national program being introduced by the Australian Government which is designed to prepare young people and […]
New legislation has been introduced in the Federal Parliament with the purpose of increasing paid parental leave (PPL) to 20 weeks, which is an increase from the current 18 weeks. The Government is seeking crossbench support in the Senate for the revised PPL scheme. The changes would mean that workers whose employers who have a […]
Nominations for the 2017 Queensland Training Awards are now open. The Queensland Training Awards are a great opportunity for Queensland-based retailers to showcase our industry’s learning and development programs and commitment to developing the skills of our staff. Also, nominating staff is an excellent way to reward any workers who have achieved success through participating […]
HAVE YOUR SAY The Australian Government’s Productivity Commission is undertaking a study of the current administration and enforcement of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). Their main task is to examine the effectiveness of the multiple-regulator model in supporting a single national consumer policy framework, and to make findings on how the model can be strengthened. […]
If you’re part of a small business in Queensland, it’s a good time to purchase software and get the training you need to use it. Until 9 December, the Queensland Government is offering small businesses matched funding of up to $10,000 for hardware, software and services as part of its Small Business Digital Grants Program. […]
Across Australia, many of the State and Territory Governments are in varying stages of considering or enacting legislation to ban the supply of lightweight plastic shopping bags. As this issue arises in the various jurisdictions across the country, the National Retail Association seeks to work with the relevant government to implement a solution that recognises […]