The Australian retail sector can add 87,990 jobs over the next four years if the government can deliver on a promise to cut red tape, the Australian National Retailers Association announced. “The sector needs to see sensible reform on important policy issues such as competition law, the low value threshold on overseas goods bought online and trading hours,” said Margy Osmond, CEO of the ANRA. “There will be serious risks to the forecast jobs growth if reform isn’t made swiftly.”

Osmond continued: “The retail sector is well placed to make a worthwhile contribution to the competition policy review and urges the review panel to ensure that any recommended change to competition law is flexible enough to recognise that industries like retailing are undergoing major structural change.

“Competition delivers numerous benefits to both business and consumers. Competition law should be about promoting efficiency and delivering the best allocation of resources across the economy. Ultimately the health of the Australian retailers, large and small, impacts national productivity.

“In addition, ANRA believes the current GST threshold for overseas goods is nothing more than a subsidy for foreign businesses and failure to address this issue will have a serious effect on the ability of retailers to create jobs.”