Webinar: Are your franchise systems working for you?

The franchising sector has been the focus of a number of recent high-profile investigations around payroll and underpayment issues. In...

The franchising sector has been the focus of a number of recent high-profile investigations around payroll and underpayment issues. In response to this, the Federal Government introduced its Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers Bill) into the House of Representatives in March to crack down on future breaches. With these legislative...

Read More

NSW Skills List under review

The NSW Department of Industry is currently reviewing the NSW Skills List.    The Skills List identifies the qualifications eligible...

The NSW Department of Industry is currently reviewing the NSW Skills List.    The Skills List identifies the qualifications eligible for a government subsidy under Smart and Skilled and includes a wide range of qualifications to support the diverse skills needs of NSW employers. The Skills List covers: Certificate ll to Advanced...

Read More

Safety step costs Coles $1 million

by Angela Szczepanski and Troy Wild, NRA Legal The ACT Supreme Court has ordered Coles to pay a former staff...

by Angela Szczepanski and Troy Wild, NRA Legal The ACT Supreme Court has ordered Coles to pay a former staff member over $1 million after she fell from a safety step she says she wasn’t trained to use. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coles_Supermarkets Nicole Harris suffered injuries to her right hip,...

Read More

Message from the CEO: 2 May 2017

The media’s certainly been abuzz over the past week after retail giant Amazon finally (after months of speculation) confirmed...

The media’s certainly been abuzz over the past week after retail giant Amazon finally (after months of speculation) confirmed it would be expanding onto Australian shores, with a distribution centre tipped to be in Melbourne or Sydney. While many are already heralding the end of the retail world as we...

Read More

Tackling retail’s biggest challenge – rental overheads

Rental overheads are the biggest challenge keeping retailers awake at night, according to Inside Retail’s 2017 Australian Retail Outlook....

Rental overheads are the biggest challenge keeping retailers awake at night, according to Inside Retail’s 2017 Australian Retail Outlook. Over the next 5 weeks, leasing expert, Kyle Swain, will explore the current issues and trends in leasing and the best ways for retailers to negotiate better terms, culminating in...

Read More

Employer fined $72,000 for exploiting international student

Written by Ben Desir and Troy Wild, NRA Legal Jia Ning Wang, owner and operator of the Fire and Stone...

Written by Ben Desir and Troy Wild, NRA Legal Jia Ning Wang, owner and operator of the Fire and Stone Restaurant, has been received a $20,366 penalty, and his company Golden Vision Food and Beverage Services Pty Ltd has been penalised an additional $51,830 after it was found that he...

Read More

What makes a great team?

Like many animals, people are wired to work in teams. Regardless of personality type or personal preference, our brains...

Like many animals, people are wired to work in teams. Regardless of personality type or personal preference, our brains thrive when given the opportunity to connect and collaborate with other people. The key to generating successful outcomes is knowing how to help teams reach their full potential. The NRA Training...

Read More

The power of the purse

Women make 85% of consumer purchase decisions and research shows women support brands which support gender equality. How can...

Women make 85% of consumer purchase decisions and research shows women support brands which support gender equality. How can your business access this Female Economy (or 'Femeconomy') purchasing power? In Australia alone during 2015-16 women spent $198.9 billion. Femeconomy is a social enterprise, role modelling Female Leadership and Entrepreneurship, and...

Read More

Message from the CEO: 26 April 2017

It is hard to believe that we are nearly one third of the way through 2017 and it has...

It is hard to believe that we are nearly one third of the way through 2017 and it has proven to be a busy year so far for retail. At the NRA we understand that you’re under enough stress with the day-to-day running of your business which is why we...

Read More

What do the 457 Visa changes mean?

By Ian Parker, Migration Agent There's been a lot of press and hype around the changes to the 457 visa...

By Ian Parker, Migration Agent There's been a lot of press and hype around the changes to the 457 visa system - so what does it really mean for employers who employ workers on a 457 visa? Background The original 457 visa required applicants to have a skill on the Consolidated Sponsored...

Read More

Bankruptcy no protection for directors

By Alex Millman and Troy Wild, NRA Legal On 13 April 2017 Judge Hartnett of the Federal Circuit Court handed...

By Alex Millman and Troy Wild, NRA Legal On 13 April 2017 Judge Hartnett of the Federal Circuit Court handed down her decision in Balemain v Mobilia Manufacturing & Anor, an application for lost remuneration and pecuniary penalties for sham contracting. The application named both the employer company and the individual...

Read More

Beechworth Bakery EBA overturned

Written by Alex Millman and Troy Wild, NRA Legal After rigorous action by the Shop, Distributive and Applied Employees Association...

Written by Alex Millman and Troy Wild, NRA Legal After rigorous action by the Shop, Distributive and Applied Employees Association (SDA), bakery chain Beechworth Bakery has had the approval of its enterprise bargaining agreement in December 2016 overturned by a decision of the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission. Throughout the...

Read More

HAVE YOUR SAY: Pay Protection Bill

The Fair Work (Pay Protection) Bill 2017 (Cth) makes several amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 that, if...

The Fair Work (Pay Protection) Bill 2017 (Cth) makes several amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 that, if passed, will have serious implications for employers using Enterprise Agreements approved after 1 January 2010. We are preparing a submission to the Fair Work Commission on the proposed changes. If you...

Read More

Message from the CEO: 18 April 2017

In recent months a number of Australian newspapers and blogs have been identifying international companies that are looking to...

In recent months a number of Australian newspapers and blogs have been identifying international companies that are looking to enter the Australian retail market. Retail giant Amazon is expected to open their doors on Australian soil sometime later this year.  The Australian Financial Review (AFR) has published a number of...

Read More

More makeovers for department stores and shopping precincts

Source: Inside Retail More department stores and shopping centres are undergoing facelifts to meet contemporary trends and demand. BRISBANE: Property investor, Precision...

Source: Inside Retail More department stores and shopping centres are undergoing facelifts to meet contemporary trends and demand. BRISBANE: Property investor, Precision Group, has begun a major redevelopment of MacArthur Central Shopping Centre in Brisbane’s CBD. The redevelopment includes the relocation and expansion of jewellery house, Hardy Brothers, from Queen Street which...

Read More

Enterprise Agreements: New NERR published

By Lucy Harper and Troy Wild, NRA Legal In February this year the Turnbull Government quietly issued the Fair Work Amendment...

By Lucy Harper and Troy Wild, NRA Legal In February this year the Turnbull Government quietly issued the Fair Work Amendment (Notice of Employee Representational Rights) Regulations 2017 (‘Regulation’), which was an amendment aimed at removing a technical barrier to approval of enterprise agreements. When negotiating a new enterprise agreement, an employer must...

Read More