THE Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has congratulated new Woolworths Group CEO and Managing Director, Brad Banducci, on his appointment.

ARA Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman, said Mr Banducci is a worthy choice as leader of Australia’s largest retailer.

“Brad has a wealth of retail experience from his five years in various roles at Woolworths Group, as well as his background with Boston Consulting Group,” said Mr Zimmerman.

“The appointment of an Australian to lead the Woolworths business is fantastic to see, and I look forward to watching Brad in his and the board’s ambitions to reinvigorate the business.

“The Woolworths’ success story is one of retail’s best, and the ARA hope to see this continue.”

Mr Zimmerman thanked outgoing CEO, Grant O’Brien, for his service to the Australian retail industry.

“In his almost 30 years in retail, Grant served as a great ambassador for the industry, working his way up from the shop floor to the top role – it’s a fantastic example of the sort of career young people in retail can aspire to.

“We look forward to working with Brad moving forward on a range of issues for the betterment of Australian retail,” he said. 

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s more than $300 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 5,000 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 House of Representatives Agriculture and Industry Committee will conduct a public hearing on Monday for the inquiry into agricultural innovation.

Appearing at the hearing will be representatives from a range of agricultural sector organisations.

The hearing will be held in Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra:
Monday, 29 February 2016
4.00 pm - Australian Pork Limited (Submission 70)
4.30 pm - Cotton Australia (Submission 72)
5.00 pm - Grains Research and Development Corporation (Submission 87)
5.30 pm - Bayer CropScience (Submission 78)
6.00 pm - close
The public hearing will be webcast live at: http://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Parliament

Further details about the inquiry, including submissions received and the terms of reference, can be obtained from the Committee’s website at: www.aph.gov.au/agind.

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AT A HEARING on February 26 at Parliament House, the Senate Economics References Committee will question representatives of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Australian Tax Office (ATO) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) about whether their oversight and regulation of co-operatives and mutuals is appropriate and fair.

At two previous public hearings held late last year, the Senate Economics References Committee inquiry into the operation of co-operative and mutual firms, heard evidence of duplicative practices, red tape and inconsistencies in the way that co-operative and mutual firms are regulated.

“This inquiry has shone a light on the economic importance of the country’s co-operative and mutual businesses and how they can bring competition and fairness to the Australian economy”, said Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals CEO, Melina Morrison.

“But there are many aspects of the legislative and regulatory frameworks that govern co-ops that are antiquated and inappropriate. The inquiry is a chance to look at the urgent reforms needed to free up the operating environment for co-operatives so that they can compete on a level playing field with other businesses.”

“Co-operatives and mutuals are good for the economy. They bring much needed competition to markets, provide transparent and accountable pricing and return all profits to the local economy in which they operate.”

“It should not be more difficult to set up and run a co-operative than any other form of business. Mutuals especially are not well served by the Corporations Act. They cannot raise capital to fund innovation and growth with the same flexibility as other forms of business. In the end this institutional bias means less diversity of business models in the economy. Failing to raise capital to fund growth can open the door for a mutual to be demutualised which leads to a loss of the member benefits and community ownership model unique to mutuals”, added Ms Morrison.

The inquiry received 59 submissions from the sector and is due to report on March 17, 2016. The public hearing takes place in Committee Room 2S1 from 9am.

www.bccm.coop

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THERE ARE over 5450 community pharmacies in Australia and they are often at the front line of contact with the community and those suffering with chronic disease.

The expertise of these pharmacies is crucial given that there an estimated 190 000 hospital admissions every year due to adverse medicine events, equalling $660 million in cost to the health system. It is estimated that up to 50 per cent of these admissions are avoidable.

Tomorrow, 23 February 2016, as part of its Inquiry into Chronic Disease Prevention and Management in Primary Health Care, the House of Representatives Health Committee will conduct a public hearing in Parliament House to hear from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Committee Chair Steve Irons MP stated: "The Committee is interested in hearing about the role of community pharmacies in chronic disease management, but just as importantly, their role in chronic disease prevention. The initial contact that pharmacies have with people at risk of developing chronic disease, or who are in the initial stages of chronic disease, places them in a unique situation to help reduce the increasing weight that chronic disease places on the health care system and the community."

Details of the hearing are:
Tuesday, 23 February – 12.00 pm – 12.40 pm
Committee Room 1R3
Parliament House, Canberra

A program and further information about the inquiry is available at: www.aph.gov.au/chronicdisease

Audio of the hearing will be broadcast live at: www.aph.gov.au/live

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