The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has secured a stay on an $800,000 costs order imposed by a judge who found in June that it had not acted in the best interests of workers when it pursued directors of the employer under the Fair Work Act’s accessorial liability provisions for underpayments of more than $1 million. […]
Australians spent a total of $20.1 billion in online retail shopping in the 12 months to June 2016, according to a new report commissioned by data analysts Quantium. This total is still well below the amount spent on traditional bricks and mortar retail, which came in at $296.9 billion for June 2015 to May 2016. […]
by Matt Forman, Traffika Do you ever get the feeling with almost every passing day there’s a new advancement in digital marketing? Maybe it’s a new platform popping up, new ad formats and functionality plus advancements in the ability to track each and every step of the process. The old metaphor of ‘moving the goalposts’ […]
Jobs Queensland has been established by the Queensland Government to provide strategic advice to the Government on future skills requirements, workforce planning and development issues and the apprenticeship and traineeship system in Queensland. There have been numerous reviews and reports into apprenticeships and traineeships, and agreement is that the apprenticeship and traineeship model – that […]
First the good news. I declare this column a US election-free zone. There’s plenty of speculation about what it all means for Australia and our economy. I’ll leave that to the “experts”. Much closer to home and, I think, far more relevant to NRA members is the research released by the Commonwealth Bank on Friday, […]
GOLD COAST – SIR20212 Certificate in Retail Services September 2016 intake The NRA Retail Training Centre is delighted to announce that the latest cohort of students on the Gold Coast have received positive results with immediate job outcomes for more than half of the graduates. The NRA, Coles Supermarkets and Help Enterprises have just completed one […]
Accessorial liability provisions have been used by the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) to secure substantial penalties across the chain of command of frozen yoghurt franchise, Yogurberry, for underpaying four overseas workers. Under s 550 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (the Act) accessorial liability means that a person who is involved in a contravention […]
The National Retail Association has notched up another win on the Christmas trade front with the West Australian Government extending retail trading hours in Perth over the Christmas/New Year period. The ruling will allow general retail shops in the Perth Metropolitan area to trade from 7am to 9pm Monday to Friday, from 7am to 6pm […]
MEDIA RELEASE New research revealed in the Commonwealth Bank’s Retail insights report should act as a wakeup call for retailers when developing pricing strategies, particularly as the industry heads into the busy Christmas and New Year period. The report demonstrates that there is no one-size-fits all approach when it comes to pricing strategies for retailers. […]
Queensland employers will have an additional incentive to hire local young people this festive season. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced in Parliament today the doubling of the Government’s $10,000 incentive, offering a $20,000 kick-back for regional businesses who hire unemployed youths. “Youth unemployment was unacceptably high in some regions and my Government is redoubling its efforts […]
POLICY & ADVOCACY > TASMANIA The Tasmanian Government has announced that it has instructed its Environment Protection Authority to provide advice on the possibility of introducing a container deposit scheme (CDS). Before the Government introduces any such scheme, the National Retail Association has asked that they consult with the retail industry to ensure that no […]
Last week, Brian Walker, CEO & Founder of Retail Doctor Group, met with Luke Parish, this year’s runner up for the National Retail Association’s Young Retailer of the Year. Luke is the Area Manager for Boating Camping Fishing Ltd (BCF) in NSW West, and his submission in the 2016 Young Retailer of the Year competition impressed the […]
Christmas & Australian Consumer Law Obligations As consumers start their Christmas shopping early, the National Retail Association are reminding retail businesses to revise and align their exchange, return and refund policies to meet the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission standards. The ACCC Commissioner, Sarah Court, reported that many clothing retailers have been displaying “No Refunds” […]
Over the last 12 months, the NRA has delivered training to over 200 jobseekers through the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program, and we are very pleased to report that almost 50% of these people have found employment in retail. Recently we asked for expressions of interest in hiring trainees from our members, and were overwhelmed […]
MEDIA RELEASE With 50 shopping days until Christmas, the National Retail Association (NRA) has today released its pre-Christmas and Boxing day trade projections which show that Australians are poised to spend more than a billion dollars a day during the busiest trading period for the year. The pre-Christmas and Boxing Day trade period runs from […]
Google in partnership with the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry have created a free training platform offering practical training modules on all things digital called The Digital Garage. Each lesson is broken up into two parts, Watch the Lesson and Put it into Practice. Lessons are short 3 or 4 minute videos with transcripts […]
It’s shaping up as possibly the most significant week for retail industry data, as we look for indications of the upcoming pre-Christmas period. Firstly, the Reserve Bank Board will meet tomorrow for its regular discussion of monetary policy. And while general financial industry talk is playing down the chances of a Cup Day rates cut, […]
With the festive season rapidly approaching, businesses are gearing up for Christmas work functions, but as we all know alcohol and employment don’t necessary pair well. When things get ‘out of hand’ at a Christmas party the ‘hangover’ for employers can last well beyond the morning after. We all know that employers are responsible (or […]
Low levels of literacy and numeracy does not mean that an individual is not capable of reading or completing workplace tasks. Rather it means the reading and numeracy tasks of their job role may, on occasion, be beyond their existing skill level and they may need some additional time and assistance. At various points in […]
The New South Wales Parliament is currently considering a Bill to prohibit retailers from supplying certain types of plastic bags to their customers. If passed, the new law will prevent retailers from supplying plastic bags to customers to carry goods bought, or to be bought, from the retailer that are not biodegradable. The Bill does […]