Queensland advances with innovation hub

Advance Queensland is an initiative by the Queensland Government to provide a comprehensive suite of programs, based on international...

Advance Queensland is an initiative by the Queensland Government to provide a comprehensive suite of programs, based on international evidence of 'what works', designed to create the knowledge-based jobs of the future. The programs aim to drive innovation and position Queensland as a place where entrepreneurs, industry, universities and government...

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Casuals can claim unfair dismissal

by Angela Szczepanski, Senior Associate, and Ben Desir, Workplace Advisor Casual employment and dismissal It is common practice for a retailer...

by Angela Szczepanski, Senior Associate, and Ben Desir, Workplace Advisor Casual employment and dismissal It is common practice for a retailer to employ casual employees due to the relative simplicity of the arrangement (e.g. paid a loading in lieu of leave entitlements). However, did you know that casual employees could have the...

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Domestic online spend dominates

According to a recent report commissioned by Quantium, 81% of all online spending in Australia is domestic. Year-on-year (YoY) growth...

According to a recent report commissioned by Quantium, 81% of all online spending in Australia is domestic. Year-on-year (YoY) growth rates for online spending is currently at 16.9% and this greatly outstrips the growth in international online sales which is only 0.9% YoY. A key factor behind this has been the...

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Cash & cheques decline in favour of digital payments

The Milestones Report released by the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA), the payments industry self-regulatory body, shows that the drop...

The Milestones Report released by the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA), the payments industry self-regulatory body, shows that the drop in cheque use in the 12 months to June 2016 is the greatest annual drop in the last decade. The report shows that cheque use dropped by 17.2% to 126.4 million....

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NRA training ‘accelerates’ motor museum team

Recently, the National Retail Association Training team had the pleasure of running one-day non-accredited training workshops for over 15...

Recently, the National Retail Association Training team had the pleasure of running one-day non-accredited training workshops for over 15 staff at the National Motor Museum, based in Birdwood, South Australia. Here's the lovely feedback they shared with us... "The National Retail Association was a very professional organisation to deal with from...

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Message from the CEO: 21 November 2016

The Federal Government’s proposed industrial relations changes go before the Senate this week – the culmination of a long-running...

The Federal Government’s proposed industrial relations changes go before the Senate this week – the culmination of a long-running (and distracting) national debate which has included the double dissolution election in July. Unrest on building sites may seem a long way from the issues that affect NRA members and other...

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Stay of costs order imposed against the Fair Work Ombudsman

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has secured a stay on an $800,000 costs order imposed by a judge who...

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has secured a stay on an $800,000 costs order imposed by a judge who found in June that it had not acted in the best interests of workers when it pursued directors of the employer under the Fair Work Act’s accessorial liability provisions for...

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Growth of online shopping slows

Australians spent a total of $20.1 billion in online retail shopping in the 12 months to June 2016, according...

Australians spent a total of $20.1 billion in online retail shopping in the 12 months to June 2016, according to a new report commissioned by data analysts Quantium. This total is still well below the amount spent on traditional bricks and mortar retail, which came in at $296.9 billion for...

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How to keep up with digital innovation

by Matt Forman, Traffika Do you ever get the feeling with almost every passing day there’s a new advancement in...

by Matt Forman, Traffika Do you ever get the feeling with almost every passing day there’s a new advancement in digital marketing? Maybe it’s a new platform popping up, new ad formats and functionality plus advancements in the ability to track each and every step of the process. The old...

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Jobs QLD discussion paper released

Jobs Queensland has been established by the Queensland Government to provide strategic advice to the Government on future skills...

Jobs Queensland has been established by the Queensland Government to provide strategic advice to the Government on future skills requirements, workforce planning and development issues and the apprenticeship and traineeship system in Queensland. There have been numerous reviews and reports into apprenticeships and traineeships, and agreement is that the apprenticeship...

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Message from the CEO: 14 November 2016

First the good news. I declare this column a US election-free zone. There’s plenty of speculation about what it...

First the good news. I declare this column a US election-free zone. There’s plenty of speculation about what it all means for Australia and our economy. I’ll leave that to the “experts”. Much closer to home and, I think, far more relevant to NRA members is the research released by...

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Success for our graduating Gold Coast students

GOLD COAST - SIR20212 Certificate in Retail Services September 2016 intake The NRA Retail Training Centre is delighted to announce that the...

GOLD COAST - SIR20212 Certificate in Retail Services September 2016 intake The NRA Retail Training Centre is delighted to announce that the latest cohort of students on the Gold Coast have received positive results with immediate job outcomes for more than half of the graduates. The NRA, Coles Supermarkets and Help Enterprises have...

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Fair Work Ombudsman fines Master Franchisor for accessorial liability

Accessorial liability provisions have been used by the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) to secure substantial penalties across the chain...

Accessorial liability provisions have been used by the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) to secure substantial penalties across the chain of command of frozen yoghurt franchise, Yogurberry, for underpaying four overseas workers.Under s 550 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (the Act) accessorial liability means that a person who...

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Perth Trading Hours extended

The National Retail Association has notched up another win on the Christmas trade front with the West Australian Government...

The National Retail Association has notched up another win on the Christmas trade front with the West Australian Government extending retail trading hours in Perth over the Christmas/New Year period. The ruling will allow general retail shops in the Perth Metropolitan area to trade from 7am to 9pm Monday to...

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New research a wakeup call for retailers when it comes to price strategy

MEDIA RELEASE New research revealed in the Commonwealth Bank’s Retail insights report should act as a wakeup call for retailers...

MEDIA RELEASE New research revealed in the Commonwealth Bank’s Retail insights report should act as a wakeup call for retailers when developing pricing strategies, particularly as the industry heads into the busy Christmas and New Year period. The report demonstrates that there is no one-size-fits all approach when it comes to...

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$20,000 Back to Work ‘Youth Boost’ a boon for regional businesses

Queensland employers will have an additional incentive to hire local young people this festive season. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced in...

Queensland employers will have an additional incentive to hire local young people this festive season. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced in Parliament today the doubling of the Government's $10,000 incentive, offering a $20,000 kick-back for regional businesses who hire unemployed youths. “Youth unemployment was unacceptably high in some regions and my Government...

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