Victorian Govt announces VIC bag ban deadline

The Hon Lily D'Ambrosio MP Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister for Solar Homes Media release: Victorian Government Wednesday 19 June Lightweight, single-use...

The Hon Lily D'Ambrosio MP Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister for Solar Homes Media release: Victorian Government Wednesday 19 June Lightweight, single-use plastic shopping bags will be banned across Victoria from 1 November this year, under new legislation introduced to parliament today by the Andrews Labor Government. Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio said...

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The truth about “reasonable additional hours”

By Calum Woods and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal After part-time employment, reasonable additional hours is one the most commonly misunderstood...

By Calum Woods and Lindsay Carroll, NRA Legal After part-time employment, reasonable additional hours is one the most commonly misunderstood concepts for employers in the retail and quick service industries. In fact, even the question “how many additional hours would be considered reasonable?” betrays a misapprehension of the topic, as the...

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Message from the CEO: 18 June 2019

One of the headlines that frequently gets recycled is that robots are going to take everyone’s job. While technological...

One of the headlines that frequently gets recycled is that robots are going to take everyone’s job. While technological advancement can seem exciting to some, it can inject a sense of fear in others who become terrified at the thought of losing their job to a machine. Unfortunately, this is...

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South East Regional Queensland Training Awards

We are very pleased and excited to announce that this year we are a finalist in the South East...

We are very pleased and excited to announce that this year we are a finalist in the South East Regional Queensland Training Awards for the Community Training Initiative of the Year! Our strong community collaboration with Employment Plus and Grand Plaza Shopping Centre is helping the Brown Plains community meet the training needs of...

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Victorian bag ban due to come into effect in November

Victorian businesses are being urged to get prepared ahead of the state-wide ban on lightweight plastic shopping bags including...

Victorian businesses are being urged to get prepared ahead of the state-wide ban on lightweight plastic shopping bags including compostable, degradable and biodegradable plastics, which is due to commence from November this year. By the end of this year, all Australian states and territories, except New South Wales, will have...

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People eating ‘a credit card’ of plastic each week, new study reveals

A new study finds on average people could be ingesting approximately 5 grams of plastic every week, which is...

A new study finds on average people could be ingesting approximately 5 grams of plastic every week, which is the equivalent weight of a credit card. By: Dr Thava Palanisami The analysis No Plastic in Nature: Assessing Plastic Ingestion from Nature to People prepared by Dalberg, based on a study commissioned...

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Small Business Digital Champions Project

We’re excited to announce we’re one of 15 industry associations to be appointed to establish a trusted digital advisory...

We’re excited to announce we’re one of 15 industry associations to be appointed to establish a trusted digital advisory service to our members as part of the Australian Government Small Business Digital Champions Project. Over the next two years, this trusted digital advisory service will be showcasing the journey of small...

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Safety Alert: Display Fixture Hooks

By Lucy Harper, NRA Legal In response to recent reports in retail stores of children being seriously injured on shopping...

By Lucy Harper, NRA Legal In response to recent reports in retail stores of children being seriously injured on shopping hooks, the National Retail Association takes this opportunity to highlight some practical tips for improving safety standards in relation to display fixture hooks. To protect customers and employees from injury, the...

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Message from the CEO – 11 June 2019

Last week the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) made the first change to interest rates in nearly three years...

Last week the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) made the first change to interest rates in nearly three years when it cut the official cash rate to a record-low 1.25 per cent. This rate cut merely confirms what we in the retail sector have known for some time –...

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Tenth anniversary of the Fair Work Act: Casual employment – Then and now

By Alex Millman, NRA Legal As the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) celebrates its tenth year, there is no...

By Alex Millman, NRA Legal As the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) celebrates its tenth year, there is no better time to reflect on how it, and the surrounding industrial relations environment, has changed over time. In part one of this series we discussed how the recent rise of the unregistered...

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Message from the CEO – 4 June 2019

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) last week handed down its Annual Wage Review. As always, the NRA had made...

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) last week handed down its Annual Wage Review. As always, the NRA had made a strong contribution in the months leading up to the decision, making both an initial submission and then a submission in reply to the FWC. Throughout the process we urged the...

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3.0% wage increase to Modern Awards from 1 July 2019

On 30 May 2019, the Fair Work Commission handed down its decision on the Annual Wage Review, deciding to...

On 30 May 2019, the Fair Work Commission handed down its decision on the Annual Wage Review, deciding to award an increase to minimum wages of 3%. This will take effect from the first pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2019. While still higher than advocated for by...

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Meet Jacqui Braddon, our Trainer and Skills Partner

Jacqui is an experienced retail trainer and industry skills specialist with the National Retail Association. Jacqui has a strong retail...

Jacqui is an experienced retail trainer and industry skills specialist with the National Retail Association. Jacqui has a strong retail and training background across various industry sectors. Developing strong relationships is the foundation of everything she does, both professionally and personally. Find out more about Jacqui: What excites you most about...

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The part-time employment dilemma and why it’s the most inflexible category

By Zoe Brodie and Calum Woods, NRA Legal What category you choose to employ someone under (full-time, part-time or casual)...

By Zoe Brodie and Calum Woods, NRA Legal What category you choose to employ someone under (full-time, part-time or casual) has more implications than simply a cost analysis of annual/sick leave or casual loading. There’s more to think about than whether to trade job security for the ability to readily downsize...

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Message from the CEO – 28 May 2019

I know that a lot has been written and said about the Federal Election, and this will be my...

I know that a lot has been written and said about the Federal Election, and this will be my last comment on it.  However, now that the dust has settled a little, I think it’s worth revisiting the Coalition’s workplace policies, as a preview to what employers and workers...

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Showcase your business at the 2019 National Retail Awards

One of the greatest challenges for any retail business owner or manager is attracting and retaining the best staff. ...

One of the greatest challenges for any retail business owner or manager is attracting and retaining the best staff.  Multiple workplace surveys have shown that simply offering an attractive pay packet is no longer enough. Younger staff in particularly want to work in businesses that recognise and reward their achievements,...

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