THE Federal Government's announcement of cuts to red tape is a vital step towards making Victoria a better place to do business, says the state's peak employer body.
 
“We applaud the Government’s commitment to remove poorly designed, out-dated, overly prescriptive regulations that add to business costs,” says VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone.
 
“Regulations cost the state economy an estimated $3.3 billion annually, so we need ongoing reform across all levels of government,” says Mr Stone.
 
Mr Stone’s comments follow the introduction of the Federal Government's Omnibus Red Tape Repeal Bill to parliament today as part of its plan to abolish more than 1000 acts and almost 10,000 regulations and cut red and green tape by $1 billion a year.
 
VECCI has been a consistent advocate of the need to reduce the red tape burden on Victorian business and in particular, small business.
 
“We are delighted that the Government has adopted our proposals that business be relieved of the burden of administering the paid parental leave scheme and superannuation payments. These were a key part of our “Too Big to Ignore” campaign for small business in the lead-up to the 2013 election,” says Mr Stone.
 
“We commend the Federal Government on this action and encourage both state and federal governments to press-on with their reform agendas to ensure Victoria remains competitive.”

www.vecci.org.au

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PEAK retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association today congratulated all winners of the Roy Morgan annual Customer Satisfaction Awards held last night in Melbourne, including many retailers and ARA members.

Retailers took out awards in the following categories: Clothing Store of the Year – Sussan; Coffee Shop of the Year – Michel’s Patisserie; Department Store of the Year – Myer; Discount Department Store of the Year – Harris Scarfe; Discount Variety Store of the Year – The Reject Shop; Furniture/Electrical Store of the Year – The Good Guys; Hardware Store of the Year – Home Timber & Hardware; Music/Book Store of the Year – JB Hi-Fi; Service Station of the Year – 7-Eleven; Shoe Store of the Year – Williams.

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said all of the above winners, as well as winners from other industries that were recognised at last night’s awards ceremony, are to be congratulated for their commitment to providing customers with outstanding service and the best retail experience they possibly can.

“The ability to provide a seamless customer experience in store which complements an overall multichannel retail strategy is the way forward for the sector.

“The ARA places a high value on its relationship with Roy Morgan and the retail industry research and insight we can together offer to our members looking to grow and diversify their operations to remain relevant to a modern shopping economy.

“Award programs such as the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards and the upcoming ARA Australian Retail Awards play a hand in helping growing businesses achieve success, as well as provide valuable opportunities for hard working retailers to be recognised by their peers,” 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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PEAK retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is calling on Australian retailers to prepare and submit their nominations for the 2014 eftpos ARA Australian Retail Awards.
 
This year, the ARA Australian Retail Awards are proudly supported by eftpos as the events major sponsor. eftpos Managing Director Bruce Mansfield said he hoped to see a record number of retailers submit nominations for this year’s awards, and share their success stories.
 
“eftpos is proud to support these awards because they recognise the extraordinary work that is done by the hundreds of thousands of retailers who serve the Australian community every day,” Mr Mansfield said.
 
The eftpos ARA Australian Retail Awards are now officially open across eleven categories and designed to celebrate success across the entire retail sector.
                 
ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said it was an exciting period for the retail industry and there were countless stories of retailers achieving growth and excellence during challenging times - all of which needed to be told and celebrated.

“The eftpos ARA Australian Retail Awards are becoming something of an icon, capturing stories of retailers who are thriving and growing during tough economic times. The 2014 Awards are shaping up to be bigger and better than ever before, and we look forward to recognising those retailers that are leading and reinventing the retail industry,” Mr Zimmerman said.

eftpos ARA Australian Retail Awards -  key information and dates:

WHAT: 2014 eftpos ARA Australian Retail Awards
WHEN: Nominations now open and due by Friday 16 May 2014
Winners will be announced at the eftpos ARA Australian Retail Awards Breakfast in Melbourne on 15 July 2014 (tickets available at www.australianretailawards.com.au).
TO ENTER/NOMINATE: Visit www.australianretailawards.com.au to view eligibility criteria and select from eleven award categories
MORE INFORMATION: Go to www.australianretailawards.com.au, call 1300 368 041 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

AWARD CATEGORIES: eftpos Australian Retailer of the Year, BDO Australian Retail Employer of the Year, Visa Australian Independent Retailer of the Year, Quest Payment Systems Australian Retail Innovator of the Year, Expr3ss! Staff Selection Software Australian Retail Graduate of the Year, eBay Inc Australian Multichannel Retailer of the Year, FCB Australian Retail HR Practitioner of the Year, Rest Industry Super Individual Retailer of the Year – male & female, Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Retailer of the Year and the Victorian Government Victorian Retailer of the Year.
 
The ARA is also introducing one new award this year: Shop for Shops Australian Retail Store Upgrade of the Year.

Shop for Shops Director Luke Martin said Shop for Shops is proud and excited to be involved with this year’s awards.

“The inaugural Shop for Shops Australian Retail Store Upgrade of the Year award recognises those retailers who have succeeded in improving their stores and ultimately their customers in-store experience. While online retailing is a large part of today’s retail industry, nothing can ever truly replace the physical shopping experience – making store renovation, visual merchandising and aesthetic layout extremely important concepts for retailers to master,” Mr Martin said.

Visit www.australianretailawards.com.au, call 1300 368 041 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

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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Chief Executive Mark Stone’s comments on the Alcoa announcement:

"It is disappointing to hear today’s announcement as Alcoa has made a significant contribution to the Victorian economy, especially in the Geelong region, for many years.

"We welcome Alcoa’s commitment to helping its employees transition and urge governments at all levels to work with Alcoa and its contractors, suppliers and community partners to minimise the impact of the closure of the Point Henry smelter.

"While the Alcoa decision is a blow to Geelong, we remain confident that the region can remain competitive given its economic diversity and strengths in tourism, health, education, biotechnology, food and horticulture, research and advanced manufacturing."

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

www.vecci.org.au

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