Australia’s peak retail bodies have expressed their commitment to working with the government in strengthening the $430 billion retail sector, following the reelection of the Labor government.
Chris Rodwell, Australian Retailers Association (ARA) CEO and Australian Retail Council (ARC) designated CEO, highlighted the sector’s critical role in the economy, contributing nearly one-fifth to GDP and employing one in 10 Australians, making it the country’s largest private sector workforce.
ARC is the upcoming merged entity between the ARA and the National Retail Association (NRA).
“The ARA and NRA stand ready to support a coordinated national effort to promote higher productivity because it is the foundation stone for a strong economy and improved living standards. It is critical we seize the moment in this term of government as our nation can’t afford for the agenda to slip into the 2030s. The state of our economy and national finances reflect it is already overdue,” Rodwell said.
Rodwell called for economic leadership to help the sector navigate ongoing challenges, including the cost-of-living crisis, increasing costs—rent, wages, energy, insurance, transportation, supply chain impacts, and the recent impact of US tariffs.
“While we recognise the government has limited options to deal with this volatility in its negotiations with the United States, it does have the capacity to offset impacts by redoubling efforts to reduce the red tape and cost burden of Australian businesses,” Rodwell said.
Rodwell emphasised that retailers are urging the government to focus on solutions that boost productivity and ensure cost-of-living relief is passed on to consumers at the checkout. He also highlighted the importance of driving productivity growth, strengthening supply chains, and easing cost pressures—particularly to support smaller retailers.
Moreover, retailers urge the government to lead a nationally coordinated response to retail crime, citing how both its human and economic costs are unacceptable.
The ARA and the NRA expressed support for Labor’s commitments to small business, digital innovation, energy affordability, cybersecurity, and workforce development.
“While there is much we can cooperate on, we remain concerned about potential government intervention in setting penalty rates as it risks undermining the role of expert decision-making bodies in delivering a fair, flexible and productive industrial framework,” Rodwell added.
The ARA and NRA thanked and expressed their well wishes to Peter Dutton, the outgoing Leader of the Opposition and former Member for Dickson.