NRA continues to assist retailers with bag bans across Australia

Sunday marked the launch of two new bag bans in QLD and WA. A total of 6 Australian states and territories now have plastic bag bans in place. Several supermarkets and national chains also took the initiative to ban lightweight plastic bags in NSW and VIC where bag bans are yet to be implemented. As […]

Message from the CEO, Dominique Lamb: 12 June 2018

CEO Dominique Lamb

How many great ideas can you think of that ended up having disastrously unforeseen consequences? Given this week’s plastic bag ban campaign launch in Queensland with the NRA’s campaign ambassador, Origin great Mal Meninga, the introduction of cane toads to gobble cane beetles munching on sugar cane crops seems like an appropriate example! But single-use […]

Supermarkets step up to meet global plastic challenge on World Environment Day

Media Release: Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP Minister for the Environment and Energy, Josh Frydenberg, says Australians used 5.66 billion single-use plastic bags last financial year. Some of which contributed to the 13 million tonnes of plastic which makes its way into our oceans each year, entangling or being eaten by marine life such as turtles, […]

Free support for Noosa businesses preparing for plastic bag ban

The NRA will be in Noosa on Monday 30 October touring local shopping centres and providing a free workshop for retailers preparing for the impending plastic bag ban. The NRA has joined forces with Local member for Noosa, Glen Elmes MP, to provide a free Plastic Bag Ban Workshop on Monday 30 October at 5.30pm […]

WorkCover Qld offers discount for apprentice employers

QUEENSLAND As part of the Queensland Government’s attempts to drive jobs for younger workers and training in skilled work, WorkCover Queensland is offering employers of apprentices a discount on their insurance premiums. Starting 1 July 2017, employers who employ at least one apprentice can save on their insurance premiums by declaring how much they expect […]

Back to Work and $20,000 Youth Boost expanding to South East QLD

QUEENSLAND The Queensland State Government Budget today announced an extra $77.5 million for an expanded Back to Work jobs program, which will now include South East Queensland from 1 July. Employment and Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said there was an extra $27.5 million in the Budget to provide similar support to employers in the […]

Retailers work alongside State Government on plastic bag ban roll-out as Bill goes to Parliament

QUEENSLAND The National Retail Association has partnered with the Palaszczuk Government to guide Queensland retailers through the State’s impending ban on single-use plastic shopping bags, as legislation is introduced to Parliament today. Chief Executive Dominique Lamb said the NRA was preparing to launch a campaign to raise awareness across the sector and among consumers, and […]

Year 12 students taught to RenoV8

by Hardware Australia This year Brisbane High Schools are piloting the first RenoV8 program which sees Hardware Australia’s tailored hardware training program becoming part of the Year 12 studies for students.  The program, facilitated in conjunction with the Queensland Department of Education and Training, is focused on introducing new entrants into the retail hardware industry […]

Retailers work alongside state Government on plastic bag ban roll-out

The National Retail Association has partnered with the Palaszczuk Government in an initiative to guide Queensland retailers through the State’s impending ban on single-use plastic shopping bags. In support of the new legislation that plans to tackle shopping bag litter, the NRA will launch an awareness campaign aiming to inform both the retail sector and […]

Retailers back Queensland Government on red tape reduction

trading hours

The National Retail Association today backed the Queensland Government’s call for Parliament to pass its sensible reforms to the state’s retail trading laws. NRA Chief Executive Officer Dominique Lamb said business owners were tired of politicians paying lip service to cutting red tape, but failing to act when the opportunity was presented to them. “The […]

New Digital Scorecard rates businesses

All organisations, big and small, need to take advantage of the latest technologies to thrive. The Queensland Government has launched a new tool to help small-to-medium-sized businesses and not-for-profit organisations get better prepared to take advantage of digital technologies. The Digital Scorecard will help businesses identify ways to improve their digital capability and be more […]

Discussing disruption in retail

QUT BUSINESS BREAKFAST  BRISBANE: FRI 27 APRIL Just as Airbnb disrupted the hotel sector and Uber disrupted the taxi industry, retail is facing its own seismic changes. In the first retail-themed QUT Business Breakfast for 2017, National Retail Association CEO, Dominique Lamb and QUT’s retail expert Assoc. Prof. Gary Mortimer, will explore retail disruption and the issues […]

More than 1500 Queenslanders assisted Back to Work

The Queensland Government’s assistance program for regional Queensland employers to take on new staff has put more than 1500 staff ‘Back to Work’. The $100 million Back to Work program has already assisted 1557 Queenslanders into jobs in the state’s regions, with another 300 applications pending assessment. Significantly, 541 of those assisted through Back to […]

Menu labelling laws kick in for QLD

food labelling on menus

Food labelling in the spotlight for Qld’s fast food and snack chains This time last year, the Palaszczuk Government passed the Health Legislation Amendment Bill, giving food businesses 12 months to introduce the kilojoule content of their food and drinks into their point-of-sale materials. As of 25 March, the new legislation will take full effect applying […]

$20,000 Youth Boost for extended until October

Youth Boost incentives

The Palaszczuk Government has extended its offer of $20,000 for employers hiring staff aged between 15 and 24 years in regional Queensland for another eight months. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the $20,000 Youth Boost employer support payment was provided under the Government’s $100 million Back to Work has helped more than 1800 people back into […]

Have your say: Jobs Queensland forums

discussion group

Have your say on how the Queensland government changes systems that affect your business at the upcoming Jobs Queensland forums.  Apprenticeship & Traineeship Forums In November 2016, the Positive Futures – Apprenticeships and Traineeships in Queensland Discussion Paper was launched, to discuss the current apprenticeship and traineeship system. Jobs Queensland is hosting forums to identify what […]

Nominate now for QLD Training Awards

Queensland Training Awards 2017

Nominations for the 2017 Queensland Training Awards are now open. The Queensland Training Awards are a great opportunity for Queensland-based retailers to showcase our industry’s learning and development programs and commitment to developing the skills of our staff. Also, nominating staff is an excellent way to reward any workers who have achieved success through participating […]

Queens Wharf mega-project commences

QUEENSLAND Destination Brisbane Consortium has finally taken possession of the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development site to begin demolition and enabling works on its $3 billion world-class integrated resort. For the next several years, the consortium will transform the historic yet underutilised Queen’s Wharf Brisbane CBD site into a vibrant tourism and entertainment destination set to […]

FWO rolls out regional campaigns

NRA legal employment law advice

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is currently running campaigns in multiple regions across Australia to assess compliance and help employers and employees understand their legal rights and obligations. According to the FWO, the campaigns include compliance and education activities, such as providing a range of tools, resources and assistance to businesses to ensure compliance with […]

Businesses invited to partner with Commonwealth Games

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will be held from 4 – 15 April 2018 with representation from 70 nations and territories including 6,600 athletes and officials, 3,000 media and a broadcast audience of 1.5 billion. The Games will provide more than $200 million in new sporting and community infrastructure in the region, inject […]