Weekly CEO Update

It’s been a tumultuous week for retailers, to say the very least. After months of lockdowns, a mouse plague, and an earthquake, there’s light on the horizon as Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory release their roadmaps out of lockdown. While we are pushing as hard as...

Last week Victoria entered its fourth lockdown in 14 months and at the time of writing there’s a real prospect it could extend beyond the scheduled seven days. It’s horrible news for both retailers and the broader community across the state. To make things worse, this time around there is...

At the NRA we pride ourselves on being the voice of modern retail. This is reflected not only in our diverse membership that consists of businesses of all shapes and sizes, but also in our personnel. Last week we added to our already strong leadership team by appointing three esteemed...

Big spending commitments, a focus on jobs, and an eye on a possible early election is how the 2021 Budget could be summed up. Overall, we think measures announced by the Treasurer last week will be beneficial to retailers. The COVID-recession was unique in the sense that late last year discretionary...

Tonight’s Federal Budget marks a crucial point in the road to recovery following the COVID recession. It is being billed by the Treasurer as a ‘jobs Budget’ with an aim to drive the unemployment rate below the current 5.6 per cent level. As the second-largest workforce in the Australian economy,...

Next week the Federal Budget will be handed down and the focus appears to be jobs, jobs and more jobs. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has outlined an ambitious goal of lowering the unemployment level to below five per cent. In a fundamental shift, the Coalition Government has jettisoned past mantras around...

It would be remiss of me to not begin this week’s column by acknowledging Anzac Day. The most solemn day on the Australia calendar serves as a poignant reminder that as challenging and frustrating as the past year has been, past generations of Australians have faced even more daunting...

There was some promising news on the economic front last week as retailers across Australia continue to adjust to life without the JobKeeper safety net. The NAB monthly business survey for March revealed that business conditions rose to a record high, leading some economists to assert that Australia is transitioning...

As foreshadowed in last week’s CEO column, media reporting in recent days has covered the upcoming Annual Wage Review decision. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has undoubtedly got a difficult decision ahead of itself. Unions are calling for a 3.5 per cent increase beginning from 1 July while industry groups,...

I hope you all had an enjoyable and successful Easter weekend. With many Australians taking full advantage of the extra-long weekend, it is traditionally a busy time for retailers across the country and with any luck 2021 was no different. In particular, hopefully those of you operating in tourist...

JobKeeper had barely ended when yesterday Greater Brisbane became the latest area to be plunged into a three-day hard-lockdown. It’s the second time this year residents in Australia’s third largest city have been confined to their homes and comes hot on the heels of similar restrictions imposed on Western...

I’ll begin this week’s CEO column by extending the thoughts of the entire NRA family to our members located in flood-affected areas across Queensland and New South Wales. In the past 15 months, some of you have had to contend with bushfires and floods as well as the first...

There is no doubt that all eyes are on Canberra at the moment. With the retail industry made up of 55% women and the largest employer of youth in the country, we cannot ignore the statistics which show that 1 in 3 Australian women have experienced physical and/or sexual...

There has been promising economic news in recent days, as Australia seeks to rebound from the COVID recession. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed that the economy grew by a substantial 3.1 per cent in the December quarter. To put that into context, it’s the first time...

Industrial relations reform continues to be a focal topic at a federal level, in particular proposals around reforms to part-time employment. It has been revealed that several union and other organisations have proposed a compromise measure to enable part-time retail workers to take on more hours without overtime. As the...

Last week I talked to you about the success of our Protecting Crowded Places program, which delivered in-person training for 48,000 retail workers in responding to an armed assailant.  We were able to provide this program with financial support from the Federal Government. Since then, we have seen news coverage...