Don’t miss out! Remember that Queensland employers have an additional incentive to hire local young people this festive season. As announced in early November, the Queensland Government is offering a offering a $20,000 kick-back for regional businesses who hire unemployed youths as part of their Back to Work ‘Youth Boost’ Program. The offer applies to […]
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. […]
Bicycles in Australia are currently regulated by a mandatory safety standard that sets out requirements for braking, steering function, reflectors, bells, identification markers and user guidance. In addition to the mandatory standard all State and Territory road rules require bicycles to have a brake, reflectors and a bell. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) […]
The positive signs for the end-of-year trading period continue to pop up, with two more pieces of data pointing to a merry Christmas for Australian retail. Early last week, the ANZ/Roy Morgan consumer confidence rating showed households are feel positive about their finances. Consumer confidence levels were well above the average for the last two […]
NRA is proud to support the 4th Annual Women in Retail and FMCG Leadership Summit 2017, to be held on the 22nd and 23rd in Melbourne. Join us to hear inspirational stories, tips for overcoming challenges and strategies for becoming a better leader. Influential women in all roles from Retail and FMCG Leadership will share […]
FWO warns businesses to monitor worker obligations within their supply chain and network Natalie James, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), has encouraged businesses to use Baiada Group, Australia’s second largest poultry processor and supplier of Lilydale and Steggles, as an example and to get ahead of any compliance issues in their supply chain or network. […]
The NSW Food Authority is helping consumers and industry navigate the often overwhelming world of food labels with an online, interactive food labelling hub. The new resource on the Food Authority website aims to help consumers make informed choices about food, and industry to find information essential to food labelling compliance quickly and easily. The […]
The opportunity Retail is an industry where a lot of talented people possess a wealth of experience and knowledge, but have no formal qualification. In fact, less than one third of the retail workforce holds a Certificate III or higher – the lowest average level of qualifications of any industry in Australia. The Queensland Government […]
When it comes to a state-by-state comparison, total online spending is dominated by the three major Eastern States (NSW, VIC & QLD) at 76%, according to a report commissioned by Quantium. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics suggest that the total online retail spend for each state & territory closely mirrors the population of […]
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 […]
MEDIA RELEASE The retail industry is on track for record sales during the Christmas trade period, according to the latest round of retail figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The ABS figures for October 2016 reveal that retail turnover rose by 0.5 per cent, seasonally adjusted, which follows a rise of […]
MEDIA RELEASE The National Retail Association (NRA) has ushered in a new era for south-east Queensland retailers, shoppers and workers, on the first day of its landmark extended and harmonised trading hours. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said the new, relaxed trading hours, which kicked off at 7 this morning after the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission […]
The Christmas and New Year Trading Hours Fact Sheet for 2016/2017 is now available for NRA members. Click here to access the fact sheet (updated 29 November 2016). If you require assistance or you would like more information about these trading hours, contact our Employment Law division via email or phone 1800 RETAIL (738 245).
This week will we see the final release of trade data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics before the Christmas and Boxing Day trading period. It should give us a clearer indication of how consumer sentiment is tracking as we move into the most important month of the year for retail. An analysis released by […]
Advance Queensland is an initiative by the Queensland Government to provide a comprehensive suite of programs, based on international evidence of ‘what works’, designed to create the knowledge-based jobs of the future. The programs aim to drive innovation and position Queensland as a place where entrepreneurs, industry, universities and government collaborate to turn great ideas […]
by Angela Szczepanski, Senior Associate, and Ben Desir, Workplace Advisor Casual employment and dismissal It is common practice for a retailer to employ casual employees due to the relative simplicity of the arrangement (e.g. paid a loading in lieu of leave entitlements). However, did you know that casual employees could have the same rights as […]
According to a recent report commissioned by Quantium, 81% of all online spending in Australia is domestic. Year-on-year (YoY) growth rates for online spending is currently at 16.9% and this greatly outstrips the growth in international online sales which is only 0.9% YoY. A key factor behind this has been the depreciation of the Australian […]
The Milestones Report released by the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA), the payments industry self-regulatory body, shows that the drop in cheque use in the 12 months to June 2016 is the greatest annual drop in the last decade. The report shows that cheque use dropped by 17.2% to 126.4 million. This compares to a 15.7% […]
Recently, the National Retail Association Training team had the pleasure of running one-day non-accredited training workshops for over 15 staff at the National Motor Museum, based in Birdwood, South Australia. Here’s the lovely feedback they shared with us… “The National Retail Association was a very professional organisation to deal with from the outset. Being in South […]
The Federal Government’s proposed industrial relations changes go before the Senate this week – the culmination of a long-running (and distracting) national debate which has included the double dissolution election in July. Unrest on building sites may seem a long way from the issues that affect NRA members and other retailers, but the impact of […]