Policy, Advocacy & Industry Engagement

The National Retail Association Policy Team exists to help retail businesses succeed and grow within an ever-changing regulatory environment.

Our team works with a wide range of industry stakeholders – retailers, government, law enforcement, regulatory bodies, shopping centres, community groups, supporting associations and many more – to develop industry-wide policy platforms or positions on issues of importance to the Australian retail sector.

We work with all retailers across the retail and food service industry – regardless of size, category or business model – from the largest department chains to family-run pizza shops. Similar issues affect all retailers every day – such as retail crime, product safety and environmental legislation – and we all benefit from sharing intelligence and real-world experience.

We work actively with governments at international, federal, state and local levels to ensure the interests and needs of the Australian retail and services sectors are protected and promoted. Rather than running from inevitable regulatory change, we provide a bridge between retailers and government – facilitating the exchange of ideas and information which ultimately leads to more informed, commercially-aware outcomes for all parties.

We place real-world insight above all else, so we actively engage with retailers – not from some ivory tower, but on the ground – in stores, strip precincts and shopping centres.

The National Retail Association Policy Team are in-house experts with industry-specific knowledge and experience, focused on innovative solutions and positive outcomes for retailers.

We tackle the issues you can’t tackle alone.

Safe Retail Precincts
Sustainability & Environment
Product Safety & Standards
Trading Hours
Retail Committees
Policy Resource Library

Current activity

Event: ACT Plastic Reduction Taskforce

24/03/2020

The ACT Government will introduce legislation to ban the sale and distribution of problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic products early next year. Link: https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/chris-steel-mla-media-releases/2019/single-use-plastics-to-be-banned-in-the-act

Event: National Retail Sustainability Committee

19/03/2020

The National Retail Sustainability Committee seeks to minimise impact on the environment, whilst maintaining reputation and meeting the current and future expectations of customers. The Sustainability Committee aims to: bring together experts from across the retail industry, government and associated stakeholders to continue the momentum of positive sustainability regulations; consider the impact of retail activities […]

Event: National Retail Technical Standards Committee

18/03/2020

The NRA Technical Standards Committee (NRA-TSC) brings together quality assurance and product compliance specialists from multiple retail categories to discuss challenges and solutions in terms of product safety and compliance. This group provides an opportunity for retailers to: Keep up to date with changes in the technical standards applying to your products Learn from your […]

Events: State-based Retail Crime Committees

04/03/2020

The National Retail Association’s state-based Retail Crime Committees bring together groups of specialists across many of Australia’s retail businesses to discuss the challenges of retail crime, loss prevention and law enforcement. The Committees aim to give loss specialists and managers in retail organisations the opportunity to: Collaborate and learn from peers in the retail industry […]

For Consideration: Product Stewardship Product List

02/03/2020

The Minister for the Environment has listed the classes of products below in accordance with Section 108A of the Product Stewardship Act 2011 (the Act). Listed classes of products are those for which the Minister will consider, during 2017-18, whether some form of accreditation or regulation under the Act might be appropriate. Plastic microbeads and products containing […]

Event: ACT Plastic Reduction Taskforce

27/02/2020

The ACT Government will introduce legislation to ban the sale and distribution of problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic products early next year. Link: https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/chris-steel-mla-media-releases/2019/single-use-plastics-to-be-banned-in-the-act

Event: SA Single-Use Plastics Stakeholder Taskforce

26/02/2020

Green Industries SA – next Single-Use Plastics Stakeholder Taskforce meeting will be held from 1:00pm – 4:00pm (ACDT) on Wednesday, 26 February 2020.

Submission: COAG Waste Export Ban

12/02/2020

As we prepare for a final COAG decision in early 2020, the Department of the Environment and Energy, on behalf of all Australian governments, is releasing a COAG consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS). The purpose of a consultation RIS is to canvass industry and other interested stakeholders views on the regulatory options under consideration to […]

Event: ACT Plastic Reduction Taskforce

11/02/2020

In December 2019, ACT Minister for Recycling and Waste Reduction Chris Steel announced that the ACT Government will introduce legislation in 2020 to reduce plastic consumption in the ACT via a ban on the sale and distribution of problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic products. Development of the Plastic Reduction Bill 2020 will support an immediate phase out of three […]

Submission: SA Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2019

07/02/2020

Next Steps for South Australia now released Turning the Tide on Single Use Plastics: The Next Steps outlines how a potential ban on plastics would see certain products such as plastic straws, cutlery and stirrers being banned at first, whilst further products are considered for future intervention. Retailers will be impacted by this legislation and will […]

Engaging real retailers

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The Policy & Advocacy Team

Dominique Lamb

Dominique Lamb

Chief Executive Officer National Retail Association
Dominique Lamb is the CEO of the National Retail Association, who has extensive experience providing industrial relations and employment law advice to a range of small, medium and large businesses across a range of industries.
David Stout

David Stout

Director Policy National Retail Association
David is a highly-respected senior executive across a wide range of retail sectors including corporate affairs, operations, customer insights, finance, procurement, risk and regulation, stakeholder engagement, community and supply chain.  He is favourably regarded as a bipartisan and ethical operative in best practice across retail and corporate industry, regional and urban councils, local and state governments, and is currently involved in multiple advisory groups / committees.
Ebony Johnson

Ebony Johnson

Project Manager, Policy National Retail Association
As Project Manager in the Policy team, Ebony brings a strong background across the retail and hospitality sectors in project management, stakeholder relations, marketing, events and communications. Ebony provides project management expertise to multiple projects, including NRA’s bag ban programs, sustainability, product safety, retail crime and committees.
Trevor O’Hara

Trevor O’Hara

Project Manager, Safe Retail Precincts National Retail Association
Having recently completed his previous role as CEO for Crime Stoppers Queensland for over 12 years, Trevor O'Hara is well acquainted with managing and overseeing complex business operations, with demonstrated accomplishments surrounding community safety enhancement, innovation, change management, strategic stakeholder management, contact centre services, team and capacity building.
Ginny Morris

Ginny Morris

Project Officer - Safe Retail Precincts National Retail Association
With 12 years’ experience in retail, Ginny is a devoted and professional trainer and facilitator with strong operational and management acumen extending across retail, hospitality, and customer-focused businesses.
Lily Charlton

Lily Charlton

Administration Officer, Policy National Retail Association
Lily Charlton provides a high level of professionalism and organisation, assisting with the NRA Policy team's extensive range of retail committees, state-wide bag ban programs and retail crime initiatives.