VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone said VECCI welcomes the release of the Guidelines for Market-Led Proposals that will encourage the private sector to work with the Government to deliver innovative, job-creating projects. 

"The guidelines provide a transparent and robust process where private parties can directly approach Government with new ideas on infrastructure projects and services," Mr Stone said.

"The process provides a pathway for Government to either enter into exclusive negotiations with the proponent or take the project to market through an open tender process, while protecting the intellectual property of the proponent.

"The guidelines place a significant emphasis on uniqueness and will allow the Government to harness the expertise and ideas of the private sector to deliver projects that may not otherwise be available in the marketplace.

"The ability of proponents to meet with Department of Treasury and Finance officials prior to submitting a proposal is a welcome feature of the model. It will encourage early and constructive dialogue between the private and public sectors, and help reduce the cost of developing proposals."

The Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) is the most influential business body in Victoria, informing and servicing more than 15,000 members, customers and clients around the state.

vecci.org.au

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LORD MAYOR Clover Moore will host the City of Sydney’s inaugural Future Asia Business Luncheon, a forum which aims to give the Sydney business community an insight into emerging business opportunities across Asia.

The CEO of Austrade, Bruce Gosper, will give a presentation about how local businesses can benefit from Australia’s new free trade agreements with China, Japan and Korea.
 
More than 140 business and government representatives will attend the event, which is part of the City’s annual Chinese New Year Festival.
 
 
WHEN:                       12pm on Tuesday 24 February 2015
 
WHERE:                     The Vestibule, Sydney Town Hall – 483 George Street, Sydney
 
CONTACT:                Keeley Irvin – 0448 005 718 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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PEAK retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and research partner Roy Morgan Research said their pre-Christmas retail sales forecast of $45 billion has not only been met but exceeded.

Australian shoppers spent a whopping $45.2 billion in retail stores from 15 November – 24 December 2014.

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said the positive result (confirmed by ABS data) was an extremely encouraging sign for the retail industry.

“We are pleased to see that the ARA’s predicted figure of $45 billion was exceeded, despite reports of shoppers cutting it close to December 25^th to complete their Christmas shopping.

“The ARA has proudly partnered with Roy Morgan Research to deliver extremely accurate retail spend forecasts for a number of years now.

"In 2013 the ARA forecasted $42.2 billion would go through retail tills during the pre-Christmas trading period and this figure was later confirmed at an actual pre-Christmas spend of $43 billion. It’s encouraging to see our 2014 pre-Christmas figures were almost bang-on again.

“The retail industry can now enjoy a heightened sense of confidence leading into 2015 knowing that shoppers spent a significant $45.2 billion in the lead up to Christmas last year. The festive period can be an extremely stressful time for business owners and I’m sure they will all be relieved to know that Christmas 2014 has indeed been one of the most successful to date.

“The ARA looks forward to confirming the actual post-Christmas spend (26 December 2014 – 15 January 2015) in the next month or so,” Mr Zimmerman said. 
 
Since 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body representing Australia’s $265 billion retail sector, which employs over 1.2 million people. The ARA ensures retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia.

Visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041

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THE Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is appalled by false union claims suggesting the Fair Work Commission (FWC) found no evidence linking employment levels to penalty rates.

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said the ACTU’s claim that the FWC found no evidence that cutting penalty rates leads to employers hiring more staff is completely untrue.

“It is common knowledge that the FWC said last year (during its decision to reduce the Sunday penalty rate for restaurant industry workers) the Sunday penalty rate ‘would have some effect on employment’.

“The ARA is aware that many large retail chains have been closing as many stores as possible on Sundays and public holidays to avoid paying penalty rates.

“Unrealistic penalty rates have made many businesses unviable over the last year. The ACTU has chosen to ignore this sad reality.

“There’s no denying the fact that retailers would employ more staff if they did not have to pay penalty rates. However, seeking to be the voice of reason, the ARA is not calling for penalty rates to be abolished altogether but there is a strong need to get the balance right. Only then can retailers operate competitively on weekends and offer increased employment opportunities,” Mr Zimmerman said.
 
Since 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body representing Australia’s $265 billion retail sector, which employs over 1.2 million people. The ARA ensures retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia.

Visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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