The National Retail Association has congratulated Scott Morrison on his re-election and urged him to “move very quickly” on cutting taxes.
The call comes after the NRA publicly backed the government’s promised personal and business tax cuts as “good for retailers”.
NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said: “Both sides of politics went to the election recognising the need to boost Australians’ disposable incomes, whether through increasing wages or reducing taxes.
“The voters have chosen the reduced-taxes option. We urge the government to move very quickly on getting its budget through parliament and getting that extra money into people’s pockets.”
Keeping the FWC independent
Ms Lamb also welcomed the government’s commitment to keep the Fair Work Commission independent of what she called “political interference”.
She lauded its decision not to override its 2017 commitment to Sunday penalty rates for fast-food and retail workers.
“There is simply no place for politicians in deciding these matters,” Ms Lamb said. “The Australian public has very clearly said it does not support changing the rules to give more power to the politicians at the expense of the independent umpire.”
Boosting training and skills
Ms Lamb called on the government to support retail and fast-food workers by boosting support for training and skills development. Doing so, she said, would allow businesses to employ extra staff more easily.
“Retail is one of the nation’s largest employment sectors,” she said. “It’s the only large employment sector that doesn’t have a government department at either the state or federal level to support its operation. It’s also one of a small number that can scale up job creation very rapidly.
“However, boosting employment in retail relies on both a strong and confident consumer base, and a skilled workforce.
“As well as boosting consumer purchasing power through its tax cuts, the government should capitalise on the extra economic activity with additional training and skills development in the retail sector.”
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