WHILE the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) welcomes the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) Penalty Rates Reduction decision, retailer employers will be disappointed by the excessive length of the transitional arrangements handed down today.

ARA Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman said retailers were expecting to able to ramp up employment via a quick transition to more sustainable penalty rates, though the announced arrangements will only hinder the immediate benefit to employment and growth within the sector.

“The Commission found that a reduction in penalty rates will allow retailers to extend staff working hours and increase employment across the board, therefore these sluggish arrangements will unnecessarily delay the creation of new retail jobs,” Mr Zimmerman.

“Retailers are already operating in a tough environment, and the ARA will be working with its members and legal providers to strongly defend the decision to ensure the implementation of Public Holiday rates from 1 July 2017."

The ARA will further challenge any attempt by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) to defer the implementation of the Sunday penalty rates decision.

“The ARA will strongly oppose any application from the SDA for judicial review of the Sunday penalty rates decision, as this will only serve to prolong the benefits for retail employers, employees and overall industry growth.” Mr Zimmerman stated.

The ARA believes the Commission’s decision will be upheld in the Federal Court as the Union’s judicial review will risk all the benefits for Australian retailers, the unemployed and the broader Australian economy.

General Retail Industry Award 2010 Transitional Arrangements;
 

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s $310 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. The ARA works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 7,500 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) welcomes today’s policy announcements by the Queensland Government of its Powering Queensland Plan to address the state’s energy needs.

This Queensland Plan has been released ahead of the Finkel review due to be released this Friday at COAG.

QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said it was good to see the Queensland Government setting an example for southern states with an energy plan and releasing more land for gas exploration.

“Once again we see Queensland showing New South Wales and Victoria on how to run an energy policy by investing in gas power and releasing another 395 square kilometres of land for new gas tenure to supply the east coast market,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“It’s common knowledge the eastern seaboard of Australia is facing a gas shortage and instead of putting their head in the sand the government is looking at how to fix the problem. This is proactive step by the Queensland government.”

The QRC is however very disappointed that the Palaszczuk Government has turned away from a technology neutral approach to electricity generation, whereby low emissions power generation is provided by the lowest cost energy source available not just renewables.

“If we are to be agnostic in terms of the sources of energy the government should also support the addition of a modern high efficiency, low emission (HELE) power plant, potentially in Townsville, using some of the highest quality, low emission coal in the world right here in Queensland,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“The government is ignoring the global shift currently underway with coal-fired power generation in countries such as Japan, with new state of the art HELE plants delivering affordable, reliable energy with a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.”

In the recent QRC State of the Sector sentiment survey Queensland resources chiefs revealed the price and supply of electricity in the state was a major concern with the decision to institute a 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.

“The government reaffirmed this target today and industry believes it’s risky to mandate half of the state’s energy mix, especially from an energy source that is intermittent,” Mr Macfarlane said.

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities has commenced a new inquiry into the Australian Government’s role in the development of cities.

It will examine city planning and sustainable urban development, focusing on how to transition existing capital cities, and how to develop new and existing regional centres.

Committee Chair, John Alexander MP, said collaborative and flexible urban planning is essential to Australia’s future.

“Australia’s population is expected to double by 2075. Existing cities cannot continue to absorb this growth without affecting our high standard of living,” Mr Alexander said.

“We need options for adapting infrastructure and services in existing cities to sustainably accommodate much larger populations. We also have to examine opportunities to develop new or existing regional centres.

“Our inquiry will investigate potential for the Commonwealth Government to provide leadership and coordinate longer term national city planning to address these issues.”

The inquiry will be split into two sub-inquiries:

1)      Sustainability transitions in existing cities

• Identifying how the trajectories of existing cities can be directed towards a more sustainable urban form that enhances urban liveability and quality of life and reduces energy, water, and resource consumption;
• Considering what regulation and barriers exist that the Commonwealth could influence, and opportunities to cut red tape; and
• Examining the national benefits of being a global ‘best practice’ leader in sustainable urban development.

2)      Growing new and transitioning regional cities and towns

• Promoting the development of regional centres, including promoting master planning of regional communities;
• Promoting private investment in regional centres and regional infrastructure;
• Promoting the competitive advantages of regional location for businesses;
• Examining ways urbanisation can be redirected to achieve more balanced regional development; and
• Identifying the infrastructure requirements for reliable and affordable transport, clean energy, water and waste in a new settlement of reasonable size, located away from existing infrastructure.

Submissions are open until Monday 31 July 2017.  People are welcome to make submissions to either or both sub-inquiries, but should clearly indicate which part of the terms of reference they address. For more information about how to make a submission, contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Further information on the inquiry, including the full terms of reference, is available on the Committee website.

Interested members of the public may wish to track the committee via the website. 

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AS THE RETAIL industry’s peak representative body, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has proposed further changes to the 457 visa reform in a submission to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) ensuring the longevity of Australian retail.

ARA Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman said the ARA have long been advocating for its members on skills shortages in the local labour market and the costly flow-on effect of doing business in a competitive global market.

“Australian retailers are currently challenged by the availability of local talent to fill buying, planning and online roles in the industry,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“We have been consulting the Government and advocating for formal training and professional development options for retail employees, to support future careers in Australian retail.”

The ARA strongly believe the ability for Australian retailers to compete in a dynamic global market, and continue to employ Australian workers directly correlates with access to specialised talent.

“The recent changes to the 457 visa program have restricted Australian retailers in accessing specific roles required in modern day retailing, further crippling the growth and development of local retail talent,” Mr Zimmerman said.

Working with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) the ARA surveyed its members on how the 457 visa changes will have a major impact on future business growth, securing retail talent, promoting local employees and international competitiveness.

The survey identified Retail Buyers, Merchandise Planners, Merchandise Designers and Digital Commerce as four critical roles required in contemporary retailing and assisted the ARA in formulating an accurate response to the Department on the proposed 457 visa changes to ensure current and future applicants for these particular roles are not affected.

The ARA’s submission highlights the adverse effects to the sector caused by the removal of certain retail occupations and asks the Department to reinstate the Retail Buyer to the Short Term Skilled Occupation List.

The submission further seeks a more sophisticated and inclusive approach in identifying strategic retail occupations prior to any reforms being implemented and recommends a pathway for highly skilled visa holders in key retail categories to be offered permanent residency.

Taking a longer-term view, the ARA supports the development and implementation of HECS-HELP for tertiary qualifications to support careers in Australian retail.

Mr Zimmerman said the ARA look forward to working with the Department to develop local retail talent through relevant tertiary studies which will in turn guide the future of Australian retail.

“As skilled retail employees are an enormous asset to the industry, the ARA will work with the Government to future proof Australian retail talent.”

To view the ARA’s full submission to the DIBP please click here.

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s $310 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. The ARA works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 7,500 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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