We are very excited to announce the appointment of James McIlveen to our Membership Team in the newly minted Membership Manager role. James’ extensive experience in membership management and deep understanding of our Association’s goals and values makes James the perfect addition to expand our member services. James will be working with all members over time to ensure you are receiving the support and resources you need to thrive in your retail business. Members are welcomed and encouraged to reach out to James for any membership-related support you may need via j.mcilveen@nationalretail.org.au.
In some of the biggest news our industry has seen for some time, the Federal, State and Territory Environment Ministers announced last week some major reforms coming around packaging. With long term sustainability in mind, all product packaging will now be subject to national standards and design rules. The full reach of the industry supply chain has worked hard to meet sustainability targets and overcome challenges, and the National Retail Association has consistently called for clarity and a standardised model to ensure that packaging waste is minimised. National design standards will ensure that more packaging can be recovered, reused, recycled and reprocessed. Of course this will have implications for members, so I encourage everyone to keep up to date with news as we provide it to you and engage with our upcoming sessions on this topic. You don’t want to be left behind when the changes take effect.
Our next session on the National Packaging Targets is taking place this Thursday, where more details will be provided on these announcements. Please register to attend here.
We also welcome the announcement from this same meeting last week, that a national roadmap to improve the harmonisation of kerbside collection will be considered in 2024. The National Retail Association have long advocated for this, and we recently wrote to the Environment Ministers on both issues. You can find our media release here.
In addition to the myriad of changes that will come from the meeting last week, State and Territory Governments are announcing additional regulations as part of the single-use plastic bans. Each state has its own set of bans, rules and timeframes so it’s imperative that members are across the relevant changes to the states in which you do business. Our Policy team are the leading experts on these bans nationally and visiting hundreds of retailers every day to communicate and educate retailers and business on these changes. We are providing several information sessions online for members to answer your questions. These sessions are held each Friday and you can register for a free session using this link or by contacting sustainability@nationaretail.org.au.
Most members would by now know the recent announcement from the Fair Work Commission about changes to the minimum wage and award minimum wages. Remember that these changes take effect from July 1, so all employers need to be ready to roll out the required changes in time. Our team are working around the clock to provide support to members, and you can access updated wage summaries through our member portal. If you have questions about rates of pay, please call our workplace relations hotline on 1800 RETAIL (738 245).
Have a great week.