Paul Zahra, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Retailers Association, 5 November 2021
Education, Employment and Training Committee
30 Nov 2021
Correspondence

Australian Retailers Association ABN 99 064 713 718

Level 1, 112 Wellington Parade East Melbourne VIC 3002

05 November 2021 Ms Kim Richards MP Member for Redlands and Committee Chair Education, Employment and Training Committee Parliament House Brisbane QLD 4000 Via email: EETC@parliament.qld.gov.au Dear Madame Chair RE: QUEENSLAND TRADING HOURS REVIEW Thank you for inviting the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) to attend the Education, Employment and Training Committee’s public hearing into trading hours on 01 November 2021. Once the border between Queensland and NSW reopens, we would appreciate the opportunity for a face- to-face meeting given that much of yesterday’s testimony was provided by those industry associations who were able to attend in person. We would also like the opportunity to address a question that you asked the National Retail Association (NRA) in relation to the success of the current trading hours regime. Ms Lamb responded in the affirmative to your question, “the current trading hours regime has been successful for your membership?” If asked the same question, we would have responded negatively. The ARA has a more diverse membership than the NRA and our national retail members do not regard the current settings favourably, particularly in those 23 regions that are not able to trade on Sunday and public holidays. We also refer to a question from the Member for Stafford in relation to skilling Queenslanders for work, in particular the NRA’s standing as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). The ARA is also an RTO and offers a range of accredited training programs in Queensland, including the Diploma in Retail Leadership, Certificate II, III and IV in Retail, and the PaTH program. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these programs with either yourself or the Minster for Training and Skills Development. And finally, we refer to a question from the committee in relation to the opportunity cost of not opening on Sundays and public holidays in the 23 affected regions. We estimate that the impact of current policy settings is approximately $4 million in foregone wages, and approximately $25 million in foregone sales. Thank you again for the opportunity to attend Monday’s public hearing. We look forward to hearing back from your office or the Committee Secretary in relation to the matters raised in this letter. Kind regards,

Paul Zahra Chief Executive Officer