Australia: Peak retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has released data from the ACCI/ARA pre-election survey* revealing the top three most important issues for retailers are: economic management (45%), levels of taxation (20%) and workplace relations regulations (15%).

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said it was encouraging for retailers that the nation’s economic management and business taxes are now ‘front and centre’ in both major parties pre-election platform.

“However, we are concerned neither party seems prepared to listen to businesses requesting ‘tweaks’ to the Fair Work Act,” Zimmerman said.

“After dealing with the some of the most dramatic changes to industrial relations legislation in 100 years, retailers do need simplicity and certainty about their employment obligations. However, there are aspects of the Fair Work Act that need some tweaking to ensure they are workplace measures focused on business productivity as well as the diverse needs of all employees including school-aged children.

While retailers strongly supported national consistency of industrial relations laws:

• 77pecent agreed or strongly agreed that greater freedom in agreement making would have a positive impact on their business.
• 67percent of retailers agreed or strongly agreed their business productivity would improve if they had the ability to put in place individual workplace agreements underpinned by a safety net of minimum entitlements.
• 85 percent of retailers agreed or strongly agreed that an increase of the superannuation guarantee from 9 to 12 percent would impact on their capacity to employ.

“The ACCI/ARA survey results also show retailers are engaged in trying to reduce their carbon footprint with 73 percent wanting to see a shift in the carbon pollution reduction debate from emissions trading schemes and carbon taxes towards a national priority to sponsor energy-efficient initiatives,” Zimmerman said.

For over 105 years, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body in Australia’s $292 billion retail sector which employs over 1.2 million people. As an incorporated employer body under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 and with a range of member services including business consulting, policy development, advocacy and education, the ARA promotes and protects over 5000 independent and national retailers throughout Australia.

Source: http://www.retail.org.au/index.php/news/5206

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