THE Executive Director of the Australian Retailers’ Association, Russell Zimmerman, said that whilst February trade figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicated solid year-on-year growth of 3.17 percent, with most states and territories experiencing increases compared to this time last year, the persistent decline in the Northern Territory has continued.

“The latest retail trade figures, viewed overall, are pleasing, but they are likely to have been affected by a number of one-off and seasonal factors,” Mr Zimmerman said.

Mr Zimmerman said that figures showing strong growth in food and supermarket sales are likely to have been heavily influenced by the price impact of drought and flooding on food items.

“When you have droughts and floods – and in different parts of the country, we’ve recently had both – this makes some food items more expensive as supply contracts, and this has in all likelihood contributed to the rise in food trade,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“Conversely, the rise in clothing and footwear sales means we are probably seeing the beginning of spending on new season items ahead of winter starting to flow into trade data,” Mr Zimmerman said.

Mr Zimmerman added that this may have also contributed to the year-on-year improvement seen in department store spending.

Mr Zimmerman also noted that whilst spending on hardware and building goods has increased overall but was slightly down from the previous month, it suggested homeowners were continuing to undertake upgrades and renovations within their dwellings.

“While there are some fluctuations in today’s figures in discretionary spending categories – where turnover may have declined month-on-month but remains higher compared to this time last year – the bottom line in these numbers is that consumers continue to spend with confidence, which is great for businesses in the retail sector,” Mr Zimmerman said.

Across the country, Australian Capital Territory (5.35%), Victoria (4.21%) and Queensland (4.15%), Tasmania (2.92%), New South Wales (2.45%), Western Australia (2.02%) South Australia (1.89%), recorded growth, while the Northern Territory (-2.14%) posted negative figures in February.

“Victoria, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory experienced strong year-on-year growth in the February figures, and the rebound we saw last month in Western Australia has continued and gathered pace.

“However, the contraction in retail spending we’ve seen in the Northern Territory for six months now has continued once again, which remains highly concerning,” Mr Zimmerman said.

Monthly Retail Growth ( January 2019- February 2019 seasonally adjusted) 

Department stores (3.56%), Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (1.98%), Food retailing (0.09%), Other retailing (-0.05%), Household goods retailing (-1.28%) and Cafés, restaurants and takeaway food services (-0.05%).

Australian Capital Territory (1.69%), Queensland (1.45%),Northern Territory (1.42%),New South Wales (0.83%), Victoria (0.82%), South Australia (0.78%), Western Australia (-0.07%) and Tasmania (-0.95%).

Total sales (0.92%).

Year-on-Year Retail Growth (February 2019 – February 2019 seasonally adjusted)

Food retailing (4.88%), Other retailing (3.71%), Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (3.47%), Cafés, restaurants and takeaway food services (2.38%), Household goods retailing (-0.10%) and Department stores (-1.32%).

Australian Capital Territory (5.35%), Victoria (4.21%), Queensland (4.15%), Tasmania (2.92%), New South Wales (2.45%), Western Australia (2.02%) South Australia (1.89%), and Northern Territory (-2.14%).

Total sales (3.17%).

About the Australian Retailers Association

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s largest retail association, representing the country’s $320 billion-dollar sector, which employs more than 1.3 million people. As Australia’s leading retail peak industry body, the ARA is a strong pro-active advocate for Australian retail and works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 7,800 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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CANBERRA’s iconic Parliament House served as a fitting backdrop as the federal parliamentary committee examining Canberra’s national institutions released its report today.

Chair of the Committee, Ben Morton MP, said the Committee found that national institutions play an invaluable role in preserving and promoting Australia’s history, culture, arts, science and democracy.

“Canberra’s national institutions are a treasure and are worthy of our continued support and patronage”, Mr Morton said.

“But they need to do more to recognise their shared value to the nation as a cohesive group, rather than as individual entities. A shared narrative should directly connect national institutions with Australia’s story, and should underpin all the work they do.”

Outlining some of the report’s 20 recommendations, Mr Morton said that the Committee was keen to see various measures taken to enhance national institutions’ engagement with the public. These include encouraging new migrants to visit national institutions, reviewing and improving access to educational programs for the more than 165,000 school students who visit Canberra each year, and promoting the science education offered by some institutions. 

“The Committee particularly welcomed Australians’ genuine interest in being informed about their democracy through visiting and accessing Canberra’s national institutions”, Mr Morton said. “We have therefore recommended reviewing, enhancing and better aligning the work of institutions in this area, as well as offering more parliamentary and electoral education programs to the general public.”

Mr Morton highlighted the Committee’s recommendation to relocate and expand the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), effectively creating a new national institution focused on the history, culture and heritage of Australia’s first peoples. ”A major national institution focused on positive and comprehensive recognition of Australia’s rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture  is long overdue”, Mr Morton said. 

“An expanded AIATSIS, located within the Parliamentary Zone, would include public exhibition facilities to tell this important Australian story in a bigger way, to more people. It would also be home to a national resting place for repatriated ancestral remains that cannot immediately return to Country.”

The Committee also recommended that the Government develop a business case for the establishment of a natural history museum in Canberra.

Among other recommendations in the report, the Committee identified measures to strengthen national institutions’ governance, including through better collaboration, and to help ease pressures on their budgets and resources. These include recommendations that the Australian Government work with Canberra’s national institutions to:

• establish a formal consultative structure for Canberra’s national institutions, to work on aligning their planning, policy, marketing, and sharing resources;
• develop shared collection storage and public exhibition spaces for Canberra’s national institutions;
• develop a whole of government strategy to ensure that analogue audio-visual items held by national institutions are digitised, before it is too late; and
• consider measures to offset the impact of financial and staffing pressures on small agencies, including Canberra’s national institutions.

“This was a large and complex inquiry, and an important one”, Mr Morton said. “I hope the Committee’s report will contribute to making Canberra’s national institutions even more effective in their work to preserve, and tell, Australia’s national story.”

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TODAY, the Intelligence and Security Committee has tabled two reports reviewing legislation that seeks to assist intelligence and law enforcement agencies to better deal with challenges posed by encrypted communications, and a separate counter-terrorism bill providing for the temporary exclusion of certain persons from Australia.

Assistance and Access Act

The report on the Review of the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 notes that the Assistance and Access Act has attracted significant domestic and international interest since the introduction of the then Bill in mid-2018 and its passage in late-2018. The Committee understands the interest as the Act introduced significant new powers on technical matters that have global implications.

The Committee notes in its report that the Assistance and Access Act will be reviewed by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor and this Committee in the next Parliament, under its statutory review function.

Temporary Exclusion Orders Bill

In its Advisory Report on the Counter-Terrorism (Temporary Exclusion Orders) Bill 2019, the Committee supports the intention of the Bill to provide the Government with greater control over the return of Australian foreign fighters — and their families and associates — to Australia. The Committee supports passage of the Bill, subject to the implementation of 18 recommendations for safeguards and accountability measures to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the scheme.

Committee Chair, Andrew Hastie MP said the Committee takes its responsibility to review national security legislation seriously.

“The Committee has a strong track record of recommending amendments that enhance the effectiveness of Australia’s intelligence and security legislation.” Mr Hastie said.

“The two reports tabled today build on this significant record.”

Both reports are available on the Committee’s website: www.aph.gov.au/pjcis.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts today presented its report on the Australian music industry. The committee has made 16 recommendations to ensure the future growth and sustainability of this sector.

Chair, Luke Howarth MP, stated that "investment in the support and promotion of Australian artists and other industry careers is essential to the retention of talent and, ultimately, the sustainability and growth of the Australian music industry.

"The music industry has experienced significant disruption as a result of technological advances and the rapid digitisation of the distribution of music; however, the industry’s recent return to growth and decrease in the number of consumers downloading music illegally is evidence of the industry’s successful adaption to the digital disruption," Mr Howarth said.

Key recommendations include:

• removing the pricing cap on licence fees for the radio broadcast of sound recordings;
• investing in supporting artists to tour in Australia, both in major cities and regional areas;
• investing in the Live Music Office, to continue its work advising and supporting state and local governments to develop regulation that encourages and celebrates live music;
• changing the application and monitoring of Australian music content quotas for commercial radio;
• investing in Sounds Australia’s music exports program;
• prioritising and supporting Australian music at government activities and events;
• developing mutually beneficial visa arrangements with the United States of America to allow artists from both countries to more easily showcase and tour;
• encouraging states and territories to improve access to music education for public primary and secondary school students;
• investing in initiatives aimed at training and supporting Australian artists and industry professionals to grow and develop their businesses;
• investing in grants and industry partnerships that support artists in the creation of new music and new recordings; and
• investing in Support Act to enable it to expand its services and deliver crisis support for artists and others working in the Australian music industry.

The report can be accessed from the Committee’s website.

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REVOLUTIONARY developments in mass transit technology need to be met with the development of a revolutionary automated transit ecosystem, according to a new report.

House of Representatives Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee Chair John Alexander said if done well, the automation and electrification of mass transit has the potential to make Australian cities and regions cleaner, greener, more accessible and more liveable.

"Achieving this outcome will demand vision and leadership from government," Mr Alexander said.

"We need to make the timely provision of the supporting infrastructure for the transition to the fuels of the future."

The report, titled Innovating Transport across Australia, makes 17 recommendations addressing a range of issues around automated transport and alternative energy sources. These recommendations include establishing the Office of National Chief Engineer, developing a new automated transport ecosystem and developing a national hydrogen strategy.

"Ideally, our transport networks will consist of integrated multi-modal networks—systems operating across a variety of transport modes, connected by information exchanges with seamless ticketing," Mr Alexander said.

A copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website or from the secretariat on (02) 6277 2352.

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ACS and DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) today announced a series of national events for World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, including a major event at ACS’s Technology and Innovation Hub in Sydney’s Barangaroo, designed to highlight opportunities in ICT for people on the autism spectrum.

Additional events are being held on April 2 and throughout April for World Autism Awareness Month, in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane.

DXC has been a leading advocate for inclusive employment for people on the spectrum since 2014 when it started the DXC Dandelion Program, focussed on building valuable technology, life and executive functioning skills to help establish careers for people on the autism spectrum.

“The launch of these events with ACS to mark World Autism Awareness Day will help us share our knowledge and learnings from our DXC Dandelion Program and our neurodiversity hubs to allow other organisations to establish sustainable employment programs,” said Seelan Nayagam, managing director, DXC Technology Australia and New Zealand.

“Our goal is make a greater social impact from the work we have done over the last five years and ACS is an excellent platform from which we can collaborate with the broader industry.”

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to highlight the value of a marginalised group of people,” said ACS president Yohan Ramasundara. “People on the autism spectrum represent an untapped resource and an opportunity to expand a business’ diversity and inclusion.

“Far from being a liability, many people with autism excel in the kinds of tasks required by ICT professions. They often have a very high attention to detail, an eye for detecting patterns, the capacity for lateral thinking and the ability to sustain superior levels of concentration. As we see with so many forms of workforce diversity, it’s actually to a business’s benefit to look at people on the spectrum as a source of business value.

“We really wanted to highlight on World Autism Awareness Day that there is this huge source of talent, with people who aren’t just capable, but excel in certain kinds of tasks.”

DXC’s Social Impact Practice leader and Dandelion program executive, Michael Fieldhouse, will be hosting the event at Barangaroo at 12pm on April 2, which will also showcase panellists Mike Tozer, CEO and founder of Xceptional; Natalie Phong, human resources business partner, SAP; and Susannah Pondekas, senior manager, strategic initiatives at CBA.

www.acs.org.au

About ACS

ACS is the professional association for Australia's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. More than 45,000 ACS members work in business, education, government and the community. ACS exists to create the environment and provide the opportunities for members and partners to succeed. ACS strives for ICT professionals to be recognised as drivers of innovation in our society, relevant across all sectors, and to promote the formulation of effective policies on ICT and related matters. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.

About DXC Technology

As the world's leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) leads digital transformations for clients by modernizing and integrating their mainstream IT, and by deploying digital solutions at scale to produce better business outcomes. The company’s technology independence, global talent, and extensive partner network enable 6,000 private and public-sector clients in 70 countries to thrive on change. DXC is a recognized leader in corporate responsibility. For more information, visit dxc.technology and explore THRIVE, DXC’s digital destination for changemakers and innovators.

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SME GROWTH INDEX research released today shows that, when asked what SME priority the new Federal Parliament should focus on, company tax cuts was the top response.

SME Growth Index research is conducted independently by banking analysts East & Partners, on behalf of national working capital funder Scottish Pacific. The owners, CEOs or senior financial staff of 1257 SMEs across all states and key industries, with annual revenues of $A1-20 million.

Scottish Pacific CEO Peter Langham said company tax cuts topped the wish, nominated by 27 percent of business owners as the initiative that should have top priority.

The Federal Government’s moves last month to further expand the instant asset write-off should please respondents, as almost 24 percent said this should be their focus.

One in five SMEs want the newly elected government to prioritise cutting red tape by reducing their administrative and regulatory burden.

Mr Langham said SMEs were far more concerned about government action on things they see affecting their business on a day-to-day basis, rather than big picture projects such as the NBN or small business funding initiatives.

“Over the past six years, the SME Growth Index has repeatedly highlighted that company tax cuts and a reduced regulatory burden are the most pressing reforms SMEs are crying out for. Nothing has changed this round,” Mr Langham said.

“The Index has recorded a three year high in SMEs expecting to grow in the first half of 2019, despite the uncertainty surrounding the property market, Royal Commission aftermath and pre-election period.

“Simplifying the complex tax system and cutting red tape, and on a state basis getting rid of payroll tax, would have the biggest daily impact for Australia’s small to medium business sector.

“These are the everyday impact items that will energise SMEs, encourage business investment and drive growth and innovation,” he said.

Mr Langham said Federal Government efforts to simplify BAS must be starting to hit the mark – in this latest research, only one in 10 SMEs named further BAS simplification as their top priority, down from one in four when this question was last asked 18 months ago.

Only 7 percent thought reducing SME energy costs should be the main focus for the new parliament.

“Despite significant publicity around the announcement of a $2 billion SME lending fund, not even 3 percent of respondents felt that implementing this fund should be the top priority,” Mr Langham said.

“The research also found that very few SMEs thought the first order of business for any new Federal Government should be extending legislation to ease late payment times, working on SME infrastructure such as the NBN or funding national cybersecurity education for small businesses.”

Most SMEs weren’t seeking the extension of legislation designed to ease late payment times and to mandate participation in the Australian Supplier Payment Code, despite much public debate about ever-lengthening supplier payment times.

Just over 2 percent of business owners named it as their preferred top post-election priority.

Dedicated SME infrastructure such as fast tracking the NBN (less than 2%) and cybersecurity (1%) are seen by business owners as lower on the agenda for a new government relative to tax cuts and cutting red tape.

This is despite a recent Chubb and YouGov survey, Too Small to Fail? Australia SME Cyber Preparedness Report, that found 71 percent of SMEs have experienced a cyber-attack or error in the past 12 months and 45 percent of SME owners are not confident that their employees who have access to sensitive data are fully aware of their data privacy responsibilities.

About Scottish Pacific

Scottish Pacific is Australasia’s largest specialist working capital provider, helping thousands of business owners with the working capital they need to succeed. Scottish Pacific lends to small, medium and large businesses with revenues ranging from $500,000 to $1 billion. www.scottishpacific.com

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THE Australian Academy of Science has applauded the announcement by the Federal Government to invest $3.4 million to improve science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) equity in Australia and boost the participation of girls and women in STEM careers.

Academy president, Professor John Shine said the $1.8 million commitment to extend the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) — a partnership between the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering — was particularly significant.

“SAGE is the only transformative gender equity program of its kind in Australia designed to achieve sustained change via ongoing evaluation and a national accreditation framework,” Prof. Shine said. 

SAGE was set up to pilot the UK’s Athena SWAN Charter and accreditation framework in Australia. Fifteen Australian institutions were recognised for their efforts to improve gender equity, receiving the inaugural Athena SWAN Bronze Awards from SAGE in December last year.

“Australia has taken a leadership role by piloting the Athena SWAN Charter program, with countries such as Canada and the United States now following our example,” Prof. Shine said. 

The Australian Government’s continued support of the SAGE pilot positions Australia well and represents a strategic and forward-thinking investment that will allow the successful pilot to have greater reach and impact, he said.

“The Academy called for a stronger commitment to equity in science as one of its key priorities for the upcoming Federal election, recognising the positive and sustained impact of SAGE,” Prof. Shine said.

“Minister Andrews’ bold vision to have all eligible Australian research institutions being SAGE members and demonstrating their commitment to gender equity is commendable and achievable."

The Academy also welcomed funding for a national digital awareness raising initiative to be supported by Australia’s Women in STEM ambassador, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith.

“Efforts to improve the visibility of girls and women in STEM and showcase the diverse career opportunities available by studying STEM are critically important,” Prof. Shine said.

“In making these announcements, Minister Andrews has recognised that supporting women’s participation in STEM has a positive economic impact.

“Australia needs access to all its available talent regardless of who or where they are, and we must ensure everyone takes action through the Women in STEM Decadal Plan,” Prof. Shine said. 

The plan was developed by the Australian Academy of Science in partnership with the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. It will be launched on Monday evening, April 1, at Parliament House by the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews.

It will identify opportunities to bring about the systemic changes required to achieve gender equity in STEM and will call on leaders across the STEM ecosystem to drive action to achieve this.

See the Academy’s other science priorities for the 2019 federal election.

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