Message from the CEO: 10 December 2019

As the countdown to Christmas enters the final stretch we hope that the festive season is bringing plenty of...

As the countdown to Christmas enters the final stretch we hope that the festive season is bringing plenty of cheer to you and your business. With school holidays now in full swing there should be plenty of foot traffic across shopping precincts nationwide. Last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics...

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Message from the CEO: 3 December 2019

With barely three weeks until Santa rides into town, the Christmas trade period has well and truly hit full...

With barely three weeks until Santa rides into town, the Christmas trade period has well and truly hit full swing. For the first time ever, it’s anticipated that Black Friday will go down as the busiest day of the year for online sales in Australia. But not all the...

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Loaded Rates in Enterprise Agreements: Balancing efficiency against costs

By Thomas Parer and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal The Fair Work Commission has recently handed down a significant decision...

By Thomas Parer and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal The Fair Work Commission has recently handed down a significant decision to approve two enterprise agreements for ALDI stores which included ‘loaded rates’, after being the only agreements of five not to be dismissed in last year’s notable ‘Loaded Rates Agreement...

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Message from the CEO: 26 November 2019

Australians are set to spend more than $50 billion throughout the 2019 Christmas trade period, according to the NRA’s...

Australians are set to spend more than $50 billion throughout the 2019 Christmas trade period, according to the NRA’s Christmas forecasts that we released last week. It has been a trying year for retail and the busy holiday season could not have come quick enough. Throughout 2019 consumers have remained...

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Senate to undertake national “wage theft” inquiry – Don’t be a case study!

By Alex Millman and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal With “wage theft” being a hot topic politically, Parliaments around Australia have...

By Alex Millman and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal With “wage theft” being a hot topic politically, Parliaments around Australia have undertaken inquiries into the matter at a State level since 2018. Following inquiries into “wage theft” in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, the Federal Opposition has established a similar inquiry...

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Message from the CEO: 19 November 2019

I’d like to start my column this week by expressing my condolences to all those affected by the bushfires...

I’d like to start my column this week by expressing my condolences to all those affected by the bushfires that have ravaged numerous parts of the country. There is never a good time to experience the devastating impact of a natural disaster, but with just over a month until Christmas...

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Energy efficient appliances rebates for retailers

For most retailers, ensuring their appliances are energy efficient is seldom a priority. However, if retailers do set aside the...

For most retailers, ensuring their appliances are energy efficient is seldom a priority. However, if retailers do set aside the time and resources needed to select the right efficient appliances for their business, upgrading can quickly pay off. This may ultimately improve the bottom line, reduce emissions and gain reputational...

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Affected by bushfire? A guide to managing your employees during a natural disaster

By Thomas Parer and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal With many Queensland and New South Wales residents displaced from homes...

By Thomas Parer and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal With many Queensland and New South Wales residents displaced from homes due to large-scale bushfires and wide swathes of the country on high fire alert, many employers are contending with the impact these natural disasters may have on their business and...

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Message from the CEO: 12 November 2019

Last week’s ABS retail figures demonstrated that retail is still yet to awaken from its slow sales slumber. Although turnover...

Last week’s ABS retail figures demonstrated that retail is still yet to awaken from its slow sales slumber. Although turnover across the sector rose by 0.2 per cent for September, it was still below what the NRA and many commentators were predicting. While it’s certainly too early to say that...

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Chargeback fraud on the rise following changes to merchant rules

By Alexander Millman and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal Members of the National Retail Association (NRA) are experiencing an increase in...

By Alexander Millman and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal Members of the National Retail Association (NRA) are experiencing an increase in chargeback fraud following changes to the transaction disputation rules of major card providers. In 2018, both Visa and MasterCard changed their transaction disputation rules to make the process of challenging a...

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Small and medium businesses benefitting from greater connectivity

 THE HON PAUL FLETCHER MP Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts MEDIA RELEASE 1 November 2019 Small and medium businesses benefitting...

 THE HON PAUL FLETCHER MP Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts MEDIA RELEASE 1 November 2019 Small and medium businesses benefitting from greater connectivity Greater access to fast broadband delivered by the National Broadband Network (NBN) is delivering a boost to Australian small to medium businesses, according to new research released...

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Message from the CEO: 5 November 2019

Compliance with industrial relations laws in Australia can be highly complicated, but it’s something which all businesses need to...

Compliance with industrial relations laws in Australia can be highly complicated, but it’s something which all businesses need to understand. Wage compliance is a topic that has dominated headlines over the last 18 months. Businesses ranging from restaurant chains, to cosmetic stores and even the Australian Broadcasting Channel (ABC) have been found...

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Flirting, harassment and essence of the consent: Sexual harassment in the workplace

By Thomas Parer and Alex Millman, NRA Legal Despite legal protections against sexual harassment existing for some time, it...

By Thomas Parer and Alex Millman, NRA Legal Despite legal protections against sexual harassment existing for some time, it remains an ever present issue in the workplace. The commonality of sexual harassment may be because what constitutes “sexual harassment” is broader than what most likely comes to mind when individuals...

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What you need to know about the latest changes to the Workers’ Compensation scheme in Queensland

By Thomas Parer and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal Last week the Queensland Government passed new laws that will change...

By Thomas Parer and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal Last week the Queensland Government passed new laws that will change the state’s Workers’ Compensation scheme by introducing some greater responsibilities on employers and insurers, and expanding the scope of coverage for the scheme. The Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation and Other Legislation...

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A win for retail training in South Australia

Hon David Pisoni MP Minister for Innovation and Skills Wednesday 23 October 2019 Skilling South Australia to deliver 150 traineeships to support...

Hon David Pisoni MP Minister for Innovation and Skills Wednesday 23 October 2019 Skilling South Australia to deliver 150 traineeships to support Drakes Supermarkets’ workforce On the back of encouraging jobs stats last week, the State Government today announced up to 150 new traineeships with Drakes Supermarkets will be created through the government’s Skilling...

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Message from the CEO: 29 October 2019

The voice of modern Australian retail Some weeks ago, the NRA made the difficult decision to step away from merger...

The voice of modern Australian retail Some weeks ago, the NRA made the difficult decision to step away from merger talks with the Australian Retailers Association because of our concerns that the proposed new body would effectively result in a takeover by a small number of unelected large retailers. We were...

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