Retailers in NSW are asking the NSW Government to help reduce business costs and support jobs during the economic downturn.  
 
At the Jobs Summit in Sydney last week retailers presented a wish list, which included:
 
• Full deregulation of trading hours, similar to the ACT or the Tasmanian model;
• Creating a single ‘can do’ contact point in the Premier’s office to facilitate retail investment
in NSW;  
• Reducing red tape – drawing on the Victorian model where departments receive financial
incentives to get rid of unnecessary or overly complicated regulations;
• NSW Government advocacy at the next COAG meeting on the negative impact of the
recent retail award modernisation decision;
• Dedicating 15 per cent of the recently announced 175,000 traineeship places for the retail sector;
and
• Creating an external committee to tackle government taxes, including payroll tax.
 
“While we appreciate that the government has made inroads in the planning, trading hours and  business tax areas, there is more to be done to kick start a NSW recovery,” said CEO of the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) Margy Osmond.  
 
“There are retail developments worth of over $100 million that are ‘shovel ready’ but are being held back by planning red tape and a lack of clarity on issues like public transport.  
 
“We are calling for a single point of contact in the Premier’s office to help fast track the planning and investment processes to get these projects off the ground,” said Osmond.
 
Retailers also proposed real reform with the deregulation of trading hours by bringing NSW in line with more progressive states, including Tasmania and the ACT.  
 
“The ACT, which has deregulated trading hours, is the most ideal arrangement. This constitutes a  huge saving for government from an administrative point of view.
 
”At the very least, we’d like to see a very pared down version of legislation in this space, similar to Tasmania where the uncomplicated regulation is considered one of the pin-up girls of the lexicon of Australian retail legislation.”
 
Another key outcome of discussions was the need for the NSW Government to dedicate 15 per cent of the newly announced traineeship places for the retail sector.
 
“Retail represents 15 per cent of the Australian workforce and has a unique capacity to help young people into work. This has particular importance for rural and regional communities,” said Osmond.