Government drives demand for recycled materials

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has released a new report Supporting Government Procurement of Recycled Materials aimed at driving...

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has released a new report Supporting Government Procurement of Recycled Materials aimed at driving Australian demand for recycled materials through the sizeable impact of government procurement. The report outlines that: achieving the 2025 National Packaging Targets will require action throughout the packaging value chain, including...

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National Retail Association applauds transformative recycling and waste reduction framework

The National Retail Association (NRA) heralds the introduction of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 as a transformative...

The National Retail Association (NRA) heralds the introduction of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 as a transformative leap into a new era of efficient, effective and sustainable waste management. The new framework, spearheaded by Environment Minister Sussan Ley, and Assistant Environment Minister Trevor Evans, will position Australia as...

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Message from the CEO: 19 September 2016

It’s been a big week for the NRA with our spectacular Rewards for Excellence Gala on Wednesday night in...

It’s been a big week for the NRA with our spectacular Rewards for Excellence Gala on Wednesday night in Sydney, and former CEO, Trevor Evans MP delivering his Maiden Speech to the Australian Parliament. The 2016 NRA Rewards for Excellence Gala was held on Wednesday night at the Sofitel in...

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A Message from the CEO: 18 July 2016

The re-elected Turnbull Government has this week shown a dawning awareness of the real challenges confronting the Australian economy,...

The re-elected Turnbull Government has this week shown a dawning awareness of the real challenges confronting the Australian economy, with a number of MPs drawing attention to unemployment and faltering economic conditions, particularly in regional areas. For the retail sector, the difficult trading conditions in some market segments were highlighted...

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Message from the Chair of the NRA

I am very pleased to announce that the National Retail Association has appointed Ms Dominique Lamb as our new...

I am very pleased to announce that the National Retail Association has appointed Ms Dominique Lamb as our new Chief Executive Officer. Many of you will already be familiar with Dominique, given her previous role as Principal of the Association’s law firm, NRA Legal. In this position she has...

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Message from the CEO: 4 July 2016

I’m sure most of us will be well and truly tired of the Federal Election campaign and the wash-up...

I’m sure most of us will be well and truly tired of the Federal Election campaign and the wash-up over the weekend, so I was hoping I would be able to use this column to reflect on the winner, and what it means for the retail sector. Of course,...

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Message from the CEO: 26 April 2016

As the Chairman mentioned in last week’s message, we have farewelled CEO Trevor Evans, who has been preselected to...

As the Chairman mentioned in last week’s message, we have farewelled CEO Trevor Evans, who has been preselected to contest a seat at the Federal Election on July 2nd. While the National Retail Association is strictly a non-partisan organisation, we do wish Trevor every success. It is important that...

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Message from the Chairman: 15 April 2016

The National Retail Association exists to be a strong voice for the retail sector in the media and with...

The National Retail Association exists to be a strong voice for the retail sector in the media and with government and policy makers. We are not only Australia’s largest peak body for retailers, but also the most representative – with members across all aspects of the retail, fast food...

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Message from the CEO: 8 April 2016

This week’s Australian Bureau of Statistics results for February showed a continuation of the longer term growth in our...

This week’s Australian Bureau of Statistics results for February showed a continuation of the longer term growth in our sector we have been witnessing for some time now. The headline figures were no doubt disappointing – showing effectively no change from January’s results. However, the annualised growth rates showed a...

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Message from the CEO: 1 April 2016

You may have seen some media reporting this week about the upcoming Annual Wage Review of minimum wages, and...

You may have seen some media reporting this week about the upcoming Annual Wage Review of minimum wages, and the National Retail Association’s position leading the discussion on behalf of retailers. I’d like to share with you some of the thinking that informs our submission on this issue each year. As...

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Message from the CEO: 11 March 2016

This week, we’ve seen suggestions in the media that recent high-profile collapses like Dick Smith, Masters and Laura Ashley...

This week, we’ve seen suggestions in the media that recent high-profile collapses like Dick Smith, Masters and Laura Ashley signal that the retail industry is entering a period of ‘doom and gloom’. Negative commentary never helps consumer confidence and retail spending. The National Retail Association has been working hard to...

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Message from the CEO: 26 February 2016

NSW and Queensland governments are both looking at banning plastic shopping bags. This issue has long been debated by governments...

NSW and Queensland governments are both looking at banning plastic shopping bags. This issue has long been debated by governments over the years. Some of Australia’s less populous states and territories have already implemented bans of certain types of plastic bags. Bans are a blunt policy response to most problems but,...

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Message from the CEO: 19 February 2016

Over the past few weeks I’ve spoken with you about the broader national interest after spending time in Canberra,...

Over the past few weeks I’ve spoken with you about the broader national interest after spending time in Canberra, particularly issues surrounding taxation and the Budget.  This week, I’d like to focus discussions back towards the association, in order to highlight a number of opportunities we’ve launched for members...

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Message from the CEO: 12 February 2016

It’s been a week of distractions in business and politics, from the instability of global stock markets to the...

It’s been a week of distractions in business and politics, from the instability of global stock markets to the decision of the Federal Government to abandon the idea of increasing the GST, to a looming Ministerial reshuffle. These are factors that can dent consumer confidence, which has otherwise been improving,...

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Message from the CEO: 5 February 2016

Today’s official retail trade figures for December have confirmed the NRA’s predictions of steady and “sensible” spending by Australian...

Today’s official retail trade figures for December have confirmed the NRA’s predictions of steady and “sensible” spending by Australian consumers in the lead up to Christmas. The figures showed spending during the pre-Christmas period (the final six weeks of the year) reached $44.63bn – only just above our prediction...

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Message from the CEO: 29 January 2016

Federal Parliament resumes next week, with the Government and Opposition both looking to finalise their pitches to voters ahead...

Federal Parliament resumes next week, with the Government and Opposition both looking to finalise their pitches to voters ahead of the election due later this year. To coincide with the resumption of Parliament, a delegation from the NRA will be in Canberra for meetings with the Prime Minister, Mr Turnbull,...

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