CHILDREN across Australia are drafting their Christmas lists ahead of the upcoming festive season. With the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and Roy Morgan predicting Australians to spend more than $51 billion over the Christmas trading period from November 9 to December 24 2018, the ARA believes toy retailers will be busier than Santa’s reindeers this Christmas.

With the ARA and Roy Morgan forecasting Aussies to increase their spending in the ‘Other retailing’ category by 2.7 percent, Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the ARA, said toy retailers’ stockings are going to be filled with children’s choice this Christmas.   

“Last year we saw a significant amount of stock flying off the shelves during the pre-Christmas period. With a range of new and innovative products on offer, we encourage parents to get in quick and secure the perfect gift for their child this Christmas,” Mr. Zimmerman said.

“Retailers also need to be prepared for the rush of parents trying to wrap up their purchases during the busy festive season.”

Taking out the top spot for the second consecutive year in a row, LOL Surprise! Dolls remain a fan favourite for kids aged 3+ with nine layers of unwrapping excitement. A staple under any tree, the LEGO Duplo Steam Train Sets and are the ideal gift for the curious kids aged 2-5.

Gabby Anderson, executive manager of the Australian Toy Association, said although the toy industry has faced a major loss with the closure of Toys R Us, she believes this will provide an opportunity for local retailers to take the reins. 

“While the toy industry has seen some disruptions recently, the demand for toys always remains high, and parents still prioritise purchasing toys for their children through bricks-and-mortar stores, which should provide some joy for local toy retailers this Christmas,” Ms Anderson said.

New toys have also entered the market including Gravitrax, an innovative marble run system encouraging children aged 8+ to build their own customised race tracks, and Treasure X Sets, designed for kids aged 5+ with adventurous and inquisitive minds.

“This year we are noticing a range of toys that are designed to stimulate imagination and creativity, which is a refreshing change from the technology-driven pattern we have seen in previous years,” Mr Zimmerman said.  

“With new and exciting products on offer, parents have a range of gifts to spoil their kids with this Christmas. As customer experience is at the heart of retail, we know there will be no shortage of surprises when kids unwrap their presents on Christmas day.”

 https://www.retail.org.au/christmas-predictions/

 http://www.roymorgan.com/

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THE LATEST round of Small Business Entrepreneur Grants to assist Queensland small businesses are now open for application.

The funding can be used for professional advice and support for business planning, marketing strategy development, as well as social media and digital strategies, research, mentoring and coaching.

Matched funding of up to $5,000 (excluding GST) may be provided to eligible businesses to engage a consultant, advisor or business coach for up to three months to help establish or develop the business. The minimum grant funding amount is $1,000.

Round four applications opened November 15 and close at 5pm on December 13, 2018.

www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/advice-support/grants/entrepreneur-grants.

Read Small Business Application Guidelines HERE.

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THE CHAIR, Andrew Hastie MP, and the deputy chair, Anthony Byrne MP, of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security make the following joint statement:

“The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security is assessing the timeframe for its report. The Committee continues to operate in a cooperative and bipartisan manner as it considers the Telecommunications and Other Legislation (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018.

"The Committee has met today and confirmed that the scheduled hearing for Friday will proceed.

"The public hearing on Friday will include representatives from industry and community groups. ”

A program for the hearing will be published later today.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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

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"NEW HOME building held up well during the September 2018 quarter despite the tougher market conditions,” according to Master Builders Australia’s chief economist Shane Garrett. 

The ABS figures on Construction Work Done released this morning indicate that new residential building work eased back by 1.8 percent during the quarter but was still 4.7 percent  higher than a year earlier, he said.

“Surprisingly, the apartment/unit side of the market put in a strong performance and came close to surpassing its busiest quarter on record. Work on detached houses fell by 3.2 percent compared with the previous quarter,” Mr Garrett said. 

“The performance of residential building has proven more resilient than expected in light of the unfolding credit crunch and less favourable conditions in Australia’s largest housing markets.

“Going forward, we do expect the tougher financial environment to take its toll on the volume of new home building over the next few years. Larger apartment projects will probably see the biggest reduction,” Mr Garrett said. 

Today’s figures also indicated that non-residential building declined by 2.4 percent during the September 2018 quarter and engineering construction fell by 4.5 percent 

“With the Federal Budget set be delivered earlier next year, it is important that it includes measures to support our sector’s capacity to meet the building needs of a steadily growing population,” Mr Garret said.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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THE HOUSE of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hold a public hearing in Dee Why on Friday November 30 as part of its inquiry into the implications of removing refundable franking credits.

The Chair of the committee, Tim Wilson MP, said, "The committee is examining how removing refundable franking credits would affect investors, particularly senior Australians who have planned for their retirement under the existing rules."

"During last week’s hearings in Sydney and Melbourne, many retirees shared their concerns that they stand to lose up to a third of their income and may be forced onto the Age Pension if the ability to claim a refund on their franking credits is removed," he said.

Wilson Asset Management, who will appear at Dee Why, said in its submission, "The current system ensures that individuals who are subject to a tax rate below the 30 percent company tax rate are compensated for the tax that has been paid at a higher rate."

Wilson Asset Management argues that the proposal to remove refundable franking credits is "regressive", since "high-income earners would still receive credits to offset their tax liabilities, with low-income earners paying the price."

By contrast, the Australian Council for Social Services (ACOSS) submitted that "those most adversely affected by the removal of refundable imputation credits would for the most part be relatively wealthy people with substantial income from self-managed superannuation funds, who pay little or no income tax".

ACOSS recommend that if such a policy is implemented, investors with low income from dividends could be protected by simply allowing ‘the refunding of imputation credits up to a modest annual limit.

Mr Wilson said, "The final hour of the public hearing will provide the opportunity for members of the public to make short statements to the committee about how the removal of refundable franking credits would affect their retirement savings and whether it would increase reliance on the Age Pension."

Public hearing details: 9.30am to 1.30pm, Friday, November 30, 2018, Dee Why RSL Club, Oaks Room 2, 932 Pittwater Road, Dee Why, New South Wales.

Further public hearings will be announced as the inquiry progresses. Program information will be available closer to the event on the inquiry webpage. The hearings will be webcast live (audio only).

A number of submissions have been received and are available on the committee’s webpage at: www.aph.gov.au/economics. Submissions can be made online or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has tabled a report supporting the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.

The Agreement is the first of a series of agreements with the UK resulting from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. As part of the Brexit arrangements, the UK is in the process of establishing new treaties, so while this treaty is new, all current arrangements relating to Australian nuclear materials will be unchanged.

Committee chair, Russell Broadbent MP, said the Agreement would ensure that the transfer of Australian uranium to the UK, and the commercial operations of Australian uranium mining companies, is uninterrupted post-Brexit.

Australia imposes strict rules on the use of exported Australian nuclear materials.  Australian nuclear materials can only be used for peaceful purposes.

Australian rules also require that Australian nuclear material must be safely and securely stored, and must be accounted for at all times.

“The UK is a significant international manufacturer of nuclear fuel.  Australian nuclear materials transformed into nuclear fuel can only be exported from the UK to other countries that have a nuclear cooperation agreement with Australia,” Mr Broadbent said.

In addition, the UK must seek Australia’s prior consent before exporting Australian nuclear material to another country.

The Agreement will ensure that Australian nuclear materials are always subject to Australia’s stringent safety and security standards. It will come into force on either March 29, 2019 or December 31, 2020, depending on the outcome of the Brexit negotiation process.

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ENERGY network businesses leading the way in improving customer outcomes were recognised last night at the Energy Networks Australia 2018 Annual Awards.

Energy Networks Australia CEO Andrew Dillon said Australian networks were focused on modernising while keeping prices down and so it was imperative to continually seek new and innovative ways to manage networks and keep the customer at the centre of decision making.

The winner of the Energy Networks Australia and Energy Consumers Australia 2018 Consumer Engagement Award, Essential Energy (NSW), was the unanimous choice of the judging panel for its 2019-24 Regulatory Proposal customer engagement program.

Energy Consumers Australia CEO Rosemary Sinclair presented the award, saying that embracing consumers as partners in change to drive down electricity prices was a critical part of building a new culture in the energy sector.

“Rebuilding trust with consumers in the energy sector will take time and must come from the top – the leading businesses are entering into a new dialogue with consumers and taking responsibility for the issues they’re raising to deliver more affordable outcomes," Ms Sinclair said.

“The winner showed they had proactively engaged with their consumers to better reflect their views and priorities and allow that to shape services.

“This award is a great way for networks to showcase the work they are doing to change the culture in the industry and better incorporate the value of the customer’s voice in all aspects of their business.”

Western Power (WA) received a highly commended from the judges for its Kalbarri Microgrid project.

Other finalists were SA Power Networks (SA), TransGrid (NSW) and the joint Victorian distribution businesses.

INNOVATION AWARD

Federal Energy Minister, Angus Taylor MP, presented the Energy Networks Industry Innovation Award to TasNetworks for its CONSORT Bruny Island battery trial.

Energy Networks Australia CEO Andrew Dillon congratulated Essential Energy and TasNetworks for the different ways they had shown leadership and helped solve some of the industry’s most complex challenges.

“TasNetworks has shown how to carry out smart coordination of solar and batteries, which has large economic and environmental benefits by allowing more renewable energy to connect, increasing grid stability and opening new markets,” Mr Dillon said.

Funded by ARENA, the TasNetworks project had a number of partners including the Australian National University, University of Sydney, University of Tasmania and Reposit Power.

Runner-up for the Industry Innovation Award was Jemena, for its demand response trial: power chargers.

Other finalists were Essential Energy (NSW) and Evoenergy (ACT).

INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTION

Mr Dillon also congratulated Powerlink’s general manager for network regulation, Jennifer Harris, winner of the 2018 Industry Contribution Award for her substantial contribution to the industry over several years.

“This award recognises Jenny’s significant contribution to our industry and her clear focus on the customer driven transformation of our networks,” he said.

Energy Networks Australia represents Australia’s electricity transmission and distribution networks and gas distribution networks. Its members provide energy to virtually every household and business in Australia. Energy Consumers Australia is the national voice for residential and small business energy consumers. Established by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2015, its objective is to promote the long-term interests of consumers with respect to price, quality, reliability, safety and security of supply.

www.energynetworks.com.au

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RETAILERS in New South Wales (NSW) will have an extra reason to celebrate this Christmas after the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) secured a major win for retail tenancy in the state.

The ARA and major industry leaders the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA), along with other industry bodies, are behind the development of the landmark Retail Industry Code of Practice – The Reporting of Sales and Occupancy Costs (the Code). 

An outcome of the 2016 review of the Retail Leases Act 1994 (NSW), the Code marks a major power shift back to retailers, as shopping centre landlords will now have an obligation to provide benchmark information to their tenants where retailers provide sales data.

Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the ARA, said that from January 1, 2019, the Code will ensure that retailers will have the ability to access information on sales reporting and occupancy costs, improving transparency and accountability.

“This landmark achievement for retailers in NSW will provide vital information to tenants in shopping centres, allowing them to better-understand the real value of their leases,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“The implementation of this Code will help to give some power back to retail tenants and give them some added certainty when it comes to negotiating with their landlords.”

The Code has also been agreed to by the Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) and will be implemented next year. Shopping centres will have a six-month transitional period to July 1, 2019 to sign-up and implement the Code.

Mr Zimmerman said the reform could not have been possible without the support of the PGA, along with the Deputy Premier of NSW, John Barilaro, who championed the reforms.

“The ARA is grateful to our friends and partners at the PGA for their continued advocacy, not only on behalf of their own members, but for the benefit of the entire industry,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“We will be working to implement this Code nationally over the medium-term, and with rising costs, increasing competition and patchy sales growth creating some headwinds for retailers, big wins like this can make a substantial difference.”

To view a copy of the Code, click here.

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s largest retail association, representing the country’s $310 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 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 7,500 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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