IR March 2016

Print post no. 100011226

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www.mga.asn.au

March Edition 2 2016

A Change is Good Public Policy!

National Support Office • 1800 888 479 • www.mga.asn.au

www.mga.asn.au

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Corporate Partner Advertising

March 2016 - Edition 2

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Our Mission The mission of MGA Independent Retailers is to deliver the best possible industry specific business support services to independent grocery, liquor and associate store members.

MGA National Support Office Suite 5, 1 Milton Parade, Malvern, Victoria, 3144 P: 03 9824 4111 • F: 03 9824 4022 admin@mga.asn.au www.mga.asn.au Freecall: 1800 888 479

Retailer Directors Rodney Allen (President) – Victoria Andrew Bray – New South Wales Michael Daly – Victoria Gino Divitini – Western Australia Grant Hinchcliffe – Tasmania Steve Miller – Victoria Chris dos Santos – South Australia Debbie Smith – Queensland

Chief Executive Officer Jos de Bruin 03 9824 4111 jos.debruin@mga.asn.au

Corporate Partnership & Media Sales Steve Sellars 0407 399 240 steve.sellars@mga.asn.au

Editorial and Production production@independentretailer.net.au Cover Image: Terry Slaughter with Mayor of Ipswich, Paul Pissale

Contents 5 CEO Welcome

Industry News

6 Business groups united to strengthen competition laws 9 Council of Small Business of Australia – COSBOA 9 MGA – Newly appointed member of ACCC Small Business and Franchising

Consultative Committee

10 MGA – “Making Life Easier” for members in WA 11 Foodland Frewville SA, wins International IGA Retailer of the Year award 12 Appointment of first Small Business Ombudsman 13 Mitre 10 Conference and Trade Expo 14 Australian Border Force: Major strike delivered to illegal cigarette smuggling 14 Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield 15 IGA Retailers conduct grass roots campaign 15 IGA Springfield Lakes QLD 16 Competition law – section 46 – misuse of marker power 18 South Australian Government liquor licensing discussion paper 19 Nationals promise fight on competition law after Wesfarmers head lobbies 20 21 22 23

Government to abandon plans Energy – embedded electricity networks Ritchies’ annual supplier day GreenDay provides platform for sharing stories on sustainable HVAC SPAR launches new store in Wilton

Liquor News

25 Geelong packaged liquor accord 25 New “proof of age” card accepted in NSW 25 Liquor & gaming NSW compliance checklists 26 World news headlines 28 Brown-Forman hosts MGA Liquor Committee February meeting 28 DrinkWise supporting young indigenous mens’ and womens’ programs 28 Penfolds named most admired wine brand 29 NSW Government announce that the public to have its say in independent review

of lockouts, last drinks and 10pm liquor laws

29 Sydney liquor licence freeze 31 Steve’s Liquour planning future growth

Legal and HR 32 32 32 33 33 35

Dealing with problem customers Dealing with staff register problems The great plastic bag ban debate 2015 Queensland Trading Hours Review Promoting your employees The Sunday penalty rates case

Training 36 36 36 37

Moving heavy loads Are you up to date with your ACT RSA training?

ACT RSA training Do you have evidence of your staff food stafey training?

www.mga.asn.au

MGA Corporate Partners D

Diamond British American Tobacco Australia

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Associate

Warehouse and Brand Partners

tasmanian independent retailers

March 2016 - Edition 2

CEO Welcome

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STOP PRESS

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At the time of publication the Federal Government has just approved the Harper Review Panel recommendations to change the Competition and Consumer Act with the introduction of the effects test.

More information in the next issue.

CEO Welcome 2016 is going to be another interesting year with many economic variables beyond members control effecting their businesses around Australia. The mining boom has come to an end with many members in regional towns and cities in WA, SA, NSW and Qld feeling the pain of mining companies dramatically scaling back production of iron ore and coal. The knock-on effect of this phenomenon is devastating. The working population has significantly depleted leaving many towns without their robust trade and economic activity that they have enjoyed over the past 10 to 15 years.

Competition has also intensified with the 2 large chains continuing their foray with 30 new stores per year and German retailer Aldi commencing its strong roll out of stores in SA and later on WA where they have never been before.

This is a time when business analysts and business coaches speak about contingency plans and resilience to implement and invest in those plans to meet the competition or the loss of economic activity. This is a time to train staff to be the best they can be in customer service – your point of difference! Plans to continuously improve businesses to attract and stay relevant to the needs of a very fast changing digital disruptive commercial and retail landscape are vital in order to survive and prosper.

MGA has been very active in the Competition Law reform arena, attending many meetings and roundtables with members of Federal Parliament, developing and submitting response papers to Treasury concerning the Harper Review recommendations and finally organising an Alliance of Business Associations to meet with the Treasurer Scott Morrison and Assistant Treasurer/Minister for Small Business Kelly O’Dwyer on 3rd March 2016.

MGA is very fortunate to be able to engage with many levels of government and government departments at any given time and has been actively involved with the following inquiries and issues for members this year – oppose retailer tobacco licensing in Qld, oppose lifting the legal age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21 (25)

in Tas., oppose additional Grand Final Eve Public Holiday in Vic, oppose deregulation of trading hours in Qld, oppose the building of a large Dan Murphy box in Como WA, conduct annual wage review surveys with members – the annual wage review submission is due to be submitted to the FWC soon, advocate for reduction in Sunday penalty rates from double time to time and a half and advocate for and develop submissions for the SA and Qld governments for supermarkets to sell packaged liquor.

The MGAQ committee has been active too. Already meeting in February with pending appointments with Qld ministers, with priorities for advocacy being workshopped and agreed to.

The MGA Liquor Committee is also active with national representation of packaged liquor retailers. New committee members who recently attended a special meeting at Brown Forman’s offices include; former Woolworths and Coles Liquor executive, Tony Leon and ACT Local Liquor Director, Peter Karakzis.

2016 does indeed look challenging in many more ways than one, however, it is very important for members to not be distracted and to not forget about one very important person in your business – your customer.

Continue to engage with them – more than ever – build a relationship of trust and loyalty and deliver your offer with aplomb.

Always try to provide your customers with an exceptional shopping experience that reinforces your business with them.

MGA’s team is ready and available to assist members with their back of house issues – we are just a phone call away so don’t hesitate to call. We are there for you!

Good trading over the Easter holiday period.

Jos de Bruin CEO – MGA Independent Retailers

www.mga.asn.au

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Industry News

Business groups united to strengthen competition laws Joint statement and meeting with Treasurer Morrison and Small Business Minister O’Dwyer On the 3rd of March an alliance of more than 20 peak business association leaders, met with Treasurer Scott Morrison and Minister for Small Business Kelly O’Dwyer in Parliament House, Canberra.

The alliance called upon the Federal Government to now enact changes to the laws governing the misuse of market power (s46 of the Competition and Consumer Act), following the end of a series of consultations held by Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Small Business, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer.

since the Federal Government -appointed Harper Panel Review into Competition Policy, who after lengthy and exhaustive consultations, made its final report on March 31, 2015. The Review Panel, comprised of independent experts, recommended changes to s46, including the introduction of an effects test.

This unprecedented alliance, formed in October 2015, comprises small, medium and large businesses and represents more than 1 million businesses employing more than 5 million people across a broad spectrum of Australian industries.

The Business Alliance believes that all businesses, large or small, should be able to engage in rigorous competition based on their merits. For this to be achieved, section 46 of the CCA must be strengthened.

Both Ministers gave the alliance an assurance that all factors will be considered in order to arrive at the best policy outcome which is due to be announced late March. MGA will keep members informed of our progress.

There is a serious deficiency in the competition dynamic in Australia. We urgently need a practical mechanism to ensure healthy competition in markets comprising business enterprises of all sizes.

The Statement: The business alliance notes that it is now almost one year

The proposed amendment would alter section 46 to read: “A corporation that has a substantial degree of power in a market

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Industry News

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Deputy Prime Minister Hon Barnaby Joyce, Treasurer Hon Scott Morrison, Assistant Treasurer and Small Business Minister Hon Kelly O’Dwyer with representatives from the Alliance of Industry Associations

shall not engage in conduct that has the purpose, effect or likely effect of substantially lessening competition in that or any other market”.

The proposed amendment will mean more competition, a better deal for Australian consumers and improvements to productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The proposed reforms are good policy and good politics. In short, they are good for the competitive process and therefore good for the Australian consumer.

After carefully evaluating all arguments the Harper Competition Policy Review Panel last year recommended changes to give the ACCC more power to deter anti-competitive practices. The net result of this is more, not less, competition.

The ACCC has restated this position during the Assistant Treasurer’s consultations. Other competition experts, including Professor Allan Fels, endorse that position.

The proposed change to section 46 moves Australian law closer to international best practice, which prohibits unilateral conduct by a dominant firm that has a harmful effect on competition. Australia’s current approach, focusing solely on the purpose of the dominant firm to establish a contravention of unilateral conduct prohibitions, is rare.

There have been exaggerated claims from a small number of loud voices about the impact on price, a “chilling” effect on competition and even the grab-bag “unintended consequences”.

However the Harper Review, as independent umpire, has addressed these questions. Australia’s leading voice for consumers, CHOICE, agrees that this change is in the best interests of consumers.

There is strong support for change from the National Farmers’ Federation and Australian Dairy Farmers, whose members have suffered because of the major retailer power over suppliers.

A national survey commissioned by MGA Independent Retailers in 2015 found that three quarters of Australians want stronger competition laws in relation to supermarkets.

We urge the Federal Government to now act on a reform which is “Good Public Policy” and in the national interest. We urge the government not to further succumb to the interests of an elite group of the country’s very biggest businesses, which has become accustomed to getting its own way.

We urge the government to keep faith with its broad base of business support and with the millions of ordinary Australians who simply want a fair go at building their own enterprises.

www.mga.asn.au

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Corporate Partner Advertising

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March 2016 - Edition 2

Industry News

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Council of Small Business of Australia – COSBOA COSBOA has become a very active and effective voice for private and independently owned businesses. No matter how small or big, COSBOA will engage at all bureaucratic and Federal Government levels to ensure the voices of private, independent and family owned enterprises are being heard.

MGA is a Board member of COSBOA and has been playing an active role in a number of issues and opportunities that effect the businesses of MGA independent retailers businesses. Business matters such as; cutting red tape and cost burdens to do business, personal and company taxation, mental health of business owners and their families, strengthening competition laws are just a few areas that we are working on.

The COSBOA Board has diversity and contains an enviable breadth of business and commercial knowledge and capability. Members will know the name of COSBOA CEO Peter Strong, as he continually raises the issues our members face on a day to day basis in the media and with respective departments and members of parliament.

From LH front – Treasurer, Phil Johns NCPA, Chairman, Paul Nielson NFBA, David Gandolfo CAFBA, Company Secretary Jos de Bruin – MGA, Elizabeth Skirving – RBT, Mark McKenzie – ACAPMA, CEO Peter Strong, Sandy Chong – AHC, Teresa Mitchell – AC. Absent – Dominc Schipano – ADTIA

MGA – Newly appointed member of ACCC Small Business and Franchising Consultative Committee Over the past 6 years MGA has been an active member of the ACCC’s Small Business Consultative Committee.

As MGA Members may be aware, the ACCC hosts a number of consultative committees and forums to encourage discussion about small business, consumer, competition and regulatory issues relevant to our work.

For almost two decades, the ACCC have hosted two bodies relevant to the small business sector – a Small Business Consultative Committee and a Franchising Consultative Committee.

The ACCC recently reconsidered the current format of the two committees, to ensure they remain efficient, encourage

engagement and minimise duplication.

Following this review, the ACCC decided to amalgamate these into a Small Business & Franchising Consultative Committee (SBFCC). This combined body will discuss issues that relate to the small business sector more broadly, as well as any specific issues that relate to the franchising sector as they arise.

Following the ACCC’s assessment of the many expressions of interest received, the ACCC has appointed MGA and the following 26 members to the SBFCC for 2016 and 2017: • Australasian Association of Convenience Stores • Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry • Australian Newsagents’ Federation • Australian Retailers Association • Business Incubation and Innovation Australia • Council of Small Businesses of Australia • Curtin Business School

• Franchise Advisory Centre • Franchise Council of Australia • Franchise Relationships Institute • Franchisee Association of Australia • Franchisee Success • FRANdata • Independent Contractors of Australia • Institute of Public Accountants • Law Council of Australia • Master Builders Australia

• Master Grocers Australia • McInnes Wilson Lawyers • Motor Trades Association of Australia • Real Estate Institute of Australia • Restaurant & Catering Industry Association • Tasmanian Small Business Council • The Pharmacy Guild of Australia • University of NSW Business School • University of Sydney

www.mga.asn.au

Industry News

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MGA – “Making Life Easier” for members in WA Everyday MGA assists and support its members with professional and friendly workplace relation advice as a part of their membership with MGA. Whilst MGA does not expect recognition, MGA often receives words of thanks and appreciation from members for this work. We greatly appreciate this.

For your interest – Following is a message MGA received recently from one of our new members, John Tuckey, from Tuckeys Hardware in Pinjarra WA. Hi George, On behalf of Tuckeys Mandurah, myself, my wife & my senior employees, I would sincerely like to thank you for representing us and for your commitment to free enterprise and small business.

Your association’s backup, professionalism in this area of business is fantastic, it does

allow us to do what we only know, and that is to run the business, with as much support information and training as we can, all to improve our overall performance. Your backup as legal support in our Mandurah store’s recent case was a fantastic outcome for us personally, it has taught us some valuable lessons in management law and operational matters.

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Again we feel very privileged to have had yourself and the MGA to represent us in business and in this latest matter. I would be more than happy to make a contribution to your association for extras if you feel that appropriate.

Regards, John Tuckey

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March 2016 - Edition 2

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Industry News

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Foodland Frewville SA, wins International IGA Retailer of the Year award Congratulations to Frewville Foodland, which was recently named as the best in the world by its global peers and won the International Retailer of the Year excellence award at the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) conference in Las Vegas, USA. July 2015.

This prestigious award is judged on a variety of key criteria including; the merchandising and range of products, employee development, leadership and innovation and community involvement.

“Our vision is to be more than just a supermarket. We wanted to create a pleasurable environment with no self-serve check-outs,” said Spero Chapley, director of the family company, Commercial Retail Group (CRG), which owns Frewville Foodland.

“It takes a lot of courage to compete against the less service/no

range model of the duopoly and other international retailers and be different. This award is special for that reason.”

The Frewville supermarket has been transformed under the Chapleys’ “Adelaide’s Finest” branding, setting a high benchmark on supermarkets for communities.

Frewville Foodland has a lot of innovative touches from live music (piano) on weekends to tasting displays, a massive cheese bar, gourmet food lines, organic fruit and veg stand and a bakery that specialises in European loaves and pastries cooked onsite in a hearth oven. The store also boasts its own kitchen and coffee bar, Mr Nick’s, and a wide selection of Asian food products.

Chapley said sales had tripled in the two years after the investment to significantly transform the store had been made and have more than quadrupled since.

2016 Diamond Anniversary Celebration in Las Vegas. Nick Chapley (center) accepts the award along with wife, Grace, and family, IGA Chairman Dr. Tom Haggai (center right), IGA CEO Mark Batenic (far left).

Nick Chapley at the 2015 IGA Retailer of the Year Awards

Spero Chapley at the 2015 IGA Retailer of the Year Awards

www.mga.asn.au

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Industry News

Appointment of first Small Business Ombudsman Small Business Minister The Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP recently announced the appointment of Ms Anne Katherine (Kate) Carnell AO as the inaugural Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. Kate Carnell will commence the new role on 11 March for a five year period.

MGA warmly welcomes this major announcement. Kate Carnell is already well known to MGA, as we have worked together on many matters effecting our members and independently owned businesses, including Competition Law reform.

Minister Kelly O’Dwyer stated that the independent Ombudsman will have real powers to act as a: • Commonwealth advocate for small businesses and family enterprises; • Concierge for dispute resolution service to allow businesses to resolve disputes without resorting to costly litigation; and • Contributor to the development of small business Commonwealth laws and regulations.

Kate Carnell brings extensive experience and knowledge to the role of Ombudsman. Kate, ran her own small businesses for 15 years before becoming ACT Chief Minister, she held the position of CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry since 2014, which represents more than 300,000 businesses across Australia and Kate was the former CEO of Beyondblue, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and the Australian General Practice Network. Kate is a pharmacist by profession and was the first female to become the National Vice-President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

This appointment is a major win for small business owners who will have access to advice and support, and an independent advocate to ensure the Government creates the right conditions for small businesses to grow. Small Business Minister O’Dwyer acknowledges small businesses make a substantial contribution to Australia’s economy with over two million small businesses generating around a third of economic output.

Kate Carnell the new Small Business Ombudsman.

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Industry News

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Mitre 10 Conference and Trade Expo On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of February MGA attended the Mitre 10 Conference and Expo at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, QLD.

into their businesses, modernised their stores and most importantly trained their staff to be “mighty helpful” for their customers.

Suppliers once again did an outstanding job of presenting their products and services in their respective booths at the Expo with creative and eye catching displays and messaging. Mitre 10 and True Value hardware store owners from around Australia attended this event gaining valuable insights into new DIY innovations and trends, as well as taking advantage of the enormous amount of building and hardware knowledge that was present at this event.

The Retailer of the Year awards night was once again a spectacular event co hosted by Mitre 10 General Manager for Merchandise, Carl Salem and effervescent TV presenter from “The Block” Scott Cam. The evening oozed class and was attended by 500 retailers, suppliers and industry stakeholders. As Carl stated, “the standard of award winners has grown exponentially every year and are harder to judge”.

The Mitre 10 team also facilitated many good expo deals for retailers to take advantage of together with information and resources to further assist the growth of store owners and staff.

Mitre 10 retailers report strong and healthy sales, particularly in building supplies to the trade. This is because they have reinvested back

National Stores of the Year winners included; - True Value hardware – York Building Supplies WA - Mitre 10 Small – Sunlite M10 Bondi Junction NSW - Mitre 10 Medium – Maclarenvale M10 SA - Trade Store of the Year – Flinders M10 Reyenella SA - Mitre 10 Large – G.Gay and Company M10 Sebastopol Vic. - Ian Nisbett Hall of Fame – Fred Womersley M10 Chelsea Vic

www.mga.asn.au

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Industry News

AUSTRALIAN BORDER FORCE: Major strike delivered to illegal cigarette smuggling The Australian Border Force (ABF) dedicated Tobacco Strike Team has delivered a major blow to the black market importation and trade of illicit cigarettes in Australia, with its latest investigation disrupting an organised crime syndicate allegedly responsible for the illegal importation of more than 30 million cigarettes during 2015.

On Wednesday 10th February, two men were arrested in Sydney and charged with smuggling offences under the Customs Act 1901. The two men, who are brothers aged 23 and 33, were granted bail and will reappear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on 22 February.

ABF Acting Assistant Commissioner, Investigations, Anthony Seebach emphasised that targeting tobacco smuggling is one of the ABF’s key operational priorities.

“In establishing the Tobacco Strike Team, we have flagged our intent to take on tobacco smugglers,” Assistant Commissioner Seebach said.

“We are determined to reduce the availability of illicit tobacco in

Australia and, by doing so, we will reduce the harm posed to the community through the availability of cheap tobacco.”

ABF officers have executed 24 warrants in Sydney and Melbourne since December last year and gathered substantial evidence in relation to the alleged smuggling of “Spoonbill‟ branded cigarettes into Australia. The cigarettes were imported in plain packaging.

The Strike Team, established in October 2015, will rely on evidence, gathered from domestic and overseas sources, to allege that the syndicate has been grossly under-declaring the volume of cigarettes imported.

The ABF will allege that, since January 2015, about 200 shipments of tobacco have contained more tobacco than that which has been declared for the purpose of duty calculations.

The alleged evasion is about $15 million. The maximum penalty for this offence is up to 10 years’ imprisonment and/or penalties up to five times the amount of duty evaded.

“Tobacco smuggling is a serious crime. The Australian tax rates on cigarettes are amongst the highest in the world, for good reason, and that means that smuggling of tobacco is more profitable here than it might be overseas,” Assistant Commissioner Seebach said.

“As a result, we have seen that transnational crime groups will look for opportunities to enter into the illicit tobacco market here, in Australia. Those criminal organisations are well networked, well-funded and highly organised.

“The Tobacco Strike Team will continue to work in collaboration with law enforcement partners and industry to disrupt the supply of illicit tobacco and dismantle the criminal syndicates behind it.

“People who have bought, sold or distributed “Spoonbill‟ cigarettes are encouraged to contact the ABF to add to the body of evidence that has been compiled by the Strike Team.” MGA members are strongly encouraged to contact the Department with information about the sale of illicit cigarette or tobacco products. You can report any suspicious activity by contacting the Border Watch hotline on 1800 009 623.

Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield On the 23rd February Minister Mitch Fifield, addressed the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) forum in Parliament House, Canberra. MGA attended on behalf of members because the “internet communication let down” particularly, for country and regionally located members around Australia, is particularly real. This network has raised the issue of very poor to

March 2016 - Edition 2

no internet service to country and regional customers and has developed a submission to address this issue. Its not just country and regional but city users who are also effected by a very poor internet capability service.

Minister Fifield spoke passionately about working on this issue, in an age of digital disruption, as a priority.

Minister for Communications Hon Mitch Fifield

Industry News

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IGA Retailers conduct grass roots campaign On the 10th February IGA retailers launched a national campaign in Parliament House Canberra. IGA retailers across Australia united to initiate a grass roots store-level campaign to highlight to their consumers the importance of fair competition.

The national campaign entitled, “Let’s Compete – Change the Law, is a very simple way of including Australian consumers in an issue that could adversely result in a reduction of competition, choice and retail diversity in the short, medium to long term.

The national campaign entails IGA independent supermarkets and local retailers placing posters in prominent positions in their stores. To support this campaign, customers are asked to sign a petition calling on the Turnbull government to adopt an effects test.

As per MGA’s extensive 2015 consumer research findings, a large majority of people in Australia – 75% – say that competition laws should be strengthened. 72% of Australians believe the grocery market is too dominated by Coles and Woolworths and there is not enough competition and 79% of Australians say its important the ACCC has the legal power and resources it needs to monitor fair competition.

MGA believes that all businesses, large or small, should be able to engage in rigorous competition based on their merits. For this to be achieved section 46 of the CCA must be strengthened.

The proposed amendment to section 46 will mean more competition, a better deal for Australian consumers and improvements to productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

There is a serious deficiency in the competition dynamic in Australia. We urgently need a practical mechanism to ensure healthy competition in markets comprising business enterprises of all sizes.

A number of members of parliament also attended and supported the Let’s Compete campaign launch, in Parliament House including; Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, Liberal MP Peter Hendy, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Minister

Peter Strong CEO COSBOA & Members of Parliament

Matt Canavan, Nationals Senator, John Williams and Independent Senator Nick Xenophon.

COSBOA CEO, Peter Strong assisted with the launch of the campaign in Parliament House, Canberra.

IGA Springfield Lakes QLD Brisbane IGA retailer and MGAQ Committee member Terry Slaughter, launched the “Let’s Compete – Change the Law” campaign in his store together with staunch local small business advocate, Mayor of Ipswich, Paul Pisasale.

Terry Slaughter with Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce and Minister Matthew Canavan.

Terry believes strongly that all independent retailers, not just supermarkets, in local

shopping centres and strips, should be supporting this grass roots campaign advocating for stronger competition laws.

Federal Members of Parliament all over the country need to be aware their constituents do have a strong voice and wish for their voices to be heard – “Change the Law”.

www.mga.asn.au

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Industry News

Competition law – section 46 – misuse of marker power Tamworth, NSW – Roundtable – Friday 29th January 2016 As previously reported to members, in October 2015, MGA facilitated a delegation of over 20 peak Industry Association leaders to meet with very newly appointed Treasurer Scott Morrison and Assistant Treasurer / Minister for Small Business Kelly O’Dwyer to advocate for the Harper Panel recommendations to strengthen section 46 – misuse of market power provisions – to be adopted in the cabinet.

Given the short time in their respective roles, both ministers gave our delegation time to discuss our point of view and committed to another round of roundtable transparent consultations and response submissions so that they could hear for themselves the views of those for and against any such reform.

There were 2 roundtable meetings. The first held in Melbourne on 27th January and the

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second in Tamworth, NSW 29th January.

MGA was invited to attend the Tamworth meeting at which there were representatives from the BCA, Wesfarmers, Woolworths, Law Institute, National Farmers Federation, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Telstra. The big end of town certainly had a very large presence. Minister Kelly O’Dwyer chaired the meeting whilst eminent competition law specialist, Russell Miller, facilitated the workshop. MGA, like all other invitees were given a 5 minute opportunity to address the forum.

Here is an account of MGA’s 5 minute speech to the forum; - The Harper report is a first class report written by first class people. MGA commends the government for initiating it.

- Harper’s recommendation to reform section 46 doesn’t go far enough - The current CCA section 46 – “misuse of

market power” is not “fit for purpose” and is no longer good public policy - It was developed at a time when there was a level playing field for competition and there were many competitors - Today the world is different – we have a few large players dominant in many markets - Some would say Oligopolies - This situation is lessening competition and threatening to harm the competitive process - The Public Policy Point behind section 46 is to deal with exclusionary conduct – behavior that freezes participants out of a market!

- “Exclusionary Conduct” is not in the public interest and denies the chance for other competitors to delight customers – this is anti competitive!

- It is simply not good public policy!

- MGA supports the Harper Panel’s amendments to section 46.1

Industry News

- These amendments will satisfy the needs to protect the competitive process into the 21st century - This is not about protecting competitors or less efficient businesses - If the law does not change, startup businesses will not start up, small and medium size businesses will decline and the large businesses will continue to dominate – this cannot be good for the consumer, as this will substantially lessen competition - In the best interests of good public policy, improving economic performance and productivity, increasing employment, stimulating innovation and investment, Section 46 must be changed to stop the risk of exclusionary behavior and to foster greater engagement by all businesses in the competitive process - I think we would all agree that exclusionary behavior is anti-competitive and it does harm the competitive process – this behavior is not restricted to large businesses with market power alone but to all businesses - The ”Take Advantage” words must be taken out of the current Act - The current law permits a business that has clearly taken advantage of a competitor, not to have breached the law if the competitor could have taken the same action as the business that is in breach - The words “take advantage” must be removed, this would remedy a deficiency in the current Act and help to eliminate uncertainty and confusion - The word Purpose alone in the current section 46 is also onerous. Proving that the purpose of a business was to substantially lessen competition and is likely to harm the competitive process is very difficult - Consequences matter, the public policy argument is to guard against harm – the harm to the competitive process we are trying to protect against – not just economic harm but harm to consumers – the harm is the consequence – so how can we have a law that seeks to stop harm but then only goes to peoples’ motives is ridiculous

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Minister Kelly O’Dwyer, Jos de Bruin, Treasurer Hon Scott Morrison

- If economic harm matters then effects matter – if the effect wasn’t intended it still matters - This is simply no longer fit for purpose - Proving purpose is undefinable and difficult in its current form and currently affects individual competitors not the competitive process. That’s why it is imperative to rephrase the words of section 46 to reflect the purpose, effect or likely effect of substantially lessening competition – to stop exclusionary conduct - It is interesting to note that some exclusionary conduct that the current law permits wouldn’t be allowed anywhere else in the world. Land banking; bundling; anti competitive price discrimination; any conduct that stops, blocks or freezes a competitor from competing – new entrants and new competitors – providers of good and services - MGA’s view is that NO CHANGE will

chill competition and not protect the competitive process - Unless the amendments to the legislation are made, many small businesses will struggle to survive and competition will wither - Is this the Australian way to give everyone a fair go?

- It is not in the best interests of consumers that our competition laws are actually allowing damaging, anti-competitive behaviour to occur but that is what is happening at the present time - MGA believes in and supports rigorous healthy competition and we understand that all businesses, large or small, have to compete vigorously on their merits to survive, but that outcome can only be achieved by providing for a level playing field - The proposed amendments to section 46(1) will promote that outcome Thank you.

www.mga.asn.au

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Industry News

South Australian Government liquor licensing discussion paper In January 2016, MGA, on behalf of its SA members, developed a substantial submission in response to a SA Government Liquor Licensing Discussion Paper to strongly advocate for supermarkets to stock and sell Packaged Liquor and Wine, just like our members do seamlessly in other states and territories in Australia.

In the discussion paper, the SA Government called for bold and brave ideas for proposed liquor licensing reform to ensure the best possible outcome for South Australia.

MGA’s submission aimed to present an outline of the legislative constraints that exist in South Australia which prevent independent supermarkets from participating in the State’s liquor industry. MGA pointed out that the Act should be amended to allow independent supermarkets to compete on a level playing field with the larger retailers, namely Coles and Woolworths who have, over a number of years, systematically established themselves in a strong, dominant position within the liquor industry in the State.

Further, MGA urged the SA Government to amend the Act for a number of reasons: • Firstly, MGA submitted that independent supermarkets are able to compete with their larger counterparts if they are provided with new laws that establish a new class of licence that will permit the sale of packaged liquor and wine in independent supermarkets.

• Secondly, MGA believes that if independent supermarkets are able to participate in the South Australian liquor industry it will provide economic growth in South Australia as there will be increased employment opportunities, benefits for tourism and new business opportunities for small businesses.

• Thirdly, MGA submitted that another major reason why the Government should consider amending the legislation is that consumers would have freedom of choice. Independent supermarkets have demonstrated that they are able to deliver choice, provide quality service and a range of goods

IGA West Wyalong NSW

FoodWorks Marysville VIC

March 2016 - Edition 2

at competitive prices. By virtue of the current legislative restrictions they are unable to offer their customers the opportunity to purchase packaged liquor as part of their shopping experience; a choice which they deserve and • Finally, MGA submitted that in SA our members fully understand the serious obligations associated with the sale of liquor in supermarkets.

On behalf of all of its SA members MGA stated it is fully aware of the need for any alcohol to be sold responsibly and cautiously.

For many years in all other states and territories where alcohol is sold in packaged liquor outlets and supermarkets, MGA has been vigilant in ensuring that the highest standards of responsible service of alcohol are maintained. MGA also added that should the South Australian Government amend the Act, MGA members would continue to provide its South Australia members with the same level of high-quality service. MGA argued that endeavouring to achieve the best possible outcomes for South Australia should be a driving factor in removing current restrictions on supermarkets which prohibit the sale of packaged liquor and wine from supermarket shelves.

With the addition of selling a range of packaged liquor in independent supermarkets, diversifying the retail liquor industry will have broader specific benefits for South Australia. In the past MGA discussed with the South Australian Government (the Government) the prospect of introducing liquor sales into South Australian supermarkets, and more recently MGA has requested that the Government amend the Liquor Licensing Act 1997 (SA) (the Act) to provide for a new class of liquor licence that would permit the retail sale of wine in supermarkets.

MGA affirmed our previous recommendations and expanded on that recommendation in light of the bold considerations that are being undertaken as part of this Government’s discussion paper.

Australia is fortunate enough to have some of the best wine producing areas in the world. MGA believes that some of the restrictions on the SA retailers that wish to promote those local wines should be reconsidered and removed. If the law is amended to permit the sale of packaged liquor and wine including South Australian wines in independent supermarkets, it would not only foster growth in the South Australian wine industry, but also boost the South Australian economy and enhance and strengthen the diversity of the State’s grocery retail market.

Local Liquor IGA Ainslie ACT

Supa IGA Merridin WA

MGA stated its support of other SA industry organisations who have also called for the adjustment of liquor licensing within the State to allow independent supermarkets to sell packaged liquor and wines including SAIR, FoodWorks, IGA and Foodland. MGA concluded its submission by stating that it welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Liquor Licensing Discussion Paper and hopes to assist the SA Government in improving on the present liquor licensing system in a manner that reflects community expectations and maintains South Australia’s outstanding international reputation .

Industry News

19

Nationals promise fight on competition law after Wesfarmers head lobbies Government to abandon plans The Nationals have come out swinging after the head of one of the country’s largest supermarket chains publicly lobbied the Government to abandon plans to introduce a so-called effects test to the nation’s competition laws.

Key points: • Wesfarmers head says introducing effects test will “cost consumers more” • Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says abandoning plan will benefit big business, hurt farmers • Treasurer Scott Morrison to present proposal to Cabinet next month The Government is considering introducing the test which would make it easier to prove when big companies deliberately use their power to squeeze smaller players out of the market.

If shelved, it could be the first major test of the relationship between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Richard Goyder, managing director of Wesfarmers — which owns supermarket giant Coles — said introducing the test would be a bad move.

“We’ll be advocating loudly and strongly that this thing not be introduced,” Mr Goyder said.

Nationals Senator Matthew Canavan said "there'll be a number of people disappointed" if the effects test was abandoned. (ABC News)

“I think it will have a negative impact because it’ll cost consumers more, and it’s completely unnecessary.

“Most people who are promoting it are promoting it on the basis that it protects them from competition.”

Such comments have drawn the ire of Nationals senator and Minister for Northern Australia, Matt Canavan.

“If the Government or the Cabinet does not support the effects test, there’ll be a number of people disappointed across the conservative

landscapes, including Liberals and Nationals,” Senator Canavan said.

“Take, for example, a dairy farm which might be encouraged to install automatic milking to get their costs down, so they spend millions of dollars on their farm to improve their business.

“Once they’ve spent that money, it’s gone so they can’t get it back, and if Coles comes along or a milk processor comes along and says we’ve got to change our price to what we had before, it’s got to be lower, that farm may not be able to make a return on its milking machine.”

Current law “Doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do – former Small Business and Competition Minister Bruce Billson Former small business minister Bruce Billson is an advocate for change.

“I think it’s genuinely accepted that the current law is a dud. It’s a hunting dog that won’t leave the porch,” Mr Billson said.

Bruce Billson

“It doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do and it doesn’t achieve the public policy objectives it was introduced to achieve.

“That’s why it’s time for a change in the

law so that efficient businesses big and small, all have a genuine opportunity to delight customers and through that success, prosper and grow.”

Some Liberals are nervous about angering the big business community.

Treasurer Scott Morrison is coming up with a proposal, and will present it to Cabinet next month.

www.mga.asn.au

20

Industry News

Energy – embedded electricity networks New rules for Embedded Electricity Networks that apply to MGA members operating in activity centres such as shopping centres, retirement villages, caravan parks, apartment blocks and office buildings.

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has made a final rule that will reduce the barriers to embedded network customers (MGA members) accessing offers from electricity retailers. It follows a rule change request proposed by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) stemming from recommendations in the AEMC’s Power of Choice review.

What are embedded networks?

Embedded networks are private electricity networks which serve multiple premises and are located within, and connected to, a distribution or transmission system through a parent connection point in the National Electricity Market.

The final rule determination makes it easier for embedded network customers (eg. MGA members in shopping centres) to choose an alternative electricity supplier, while remaining part of the embedded network (the shopping centre).

Why is access to the competitive retail market important?

It is very important MGA members (embedded network customers) have access to the competitive retail market so as to; • choose the price and price structure of their electricity service that suits them best, which may result in lower bills; • choose from a wider variety of products and services; and gain easier access to government schemes and consumer protections. This rule change does not prevent shopping centres (embedded network operators) from continuing to sell (MGA members) embedded network customers electricity.

Instead, it will provide them with a greater incentive to compete with retailers.

Why do the current rules need to be changed?

The current regulatory arrangements for Shopping Centres (embedded networks) are unclear and result in barriers to MGA members (embedded network customers) purchasing electricity from retailers in the competitive retail market. Notably: the National Energy Retail Rules do not provide clear obligations and relationships between authorised retailers, embedded network operators and embedded network customers.

How does the final rule address these problems?

The changes to the National Electricity Rules set out in the final rule will create a new accredited provider role – embedded network manager – to perform the market interface functions that link MGA members (embedded network customers) to the National Electricity Market systems.

Power of Choice This rule change is part of a reform program identified by the 2012

March 2016 - Edition 2

AEMC Power of Choice Review. This review set out a marketwide reform program to give electricity consumers more opportunities to understand and take control their electricity use and costs.

The final rule directly contributes to this priority by reducing the barriers to MGA members (embedded network customers) choosing the products, services and provider of retail services that suit them best.

Implementation The final rule specifies that the new version of the National Electricity Rules would start on 1 December 2017.

This coincides with the changes arising from the Expanding Competition in Metering and Related Services rule change (published 26 November 2015). Any changes from the Meter Replacement Processes rule change process and the Updating the Electricity B2B Framework rule change process may also commence at this time.

The final rule for embedded networks will take effect in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. Their application in Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT is dependent upon those governments making relevant legal changes to recognise the metering and other arrangements regarding embedded networks.

For information contact: Director, Meredith Mayes (02) 8296 7849 Advisor, Ben Davis (02) 8296 7851 Media: Communication Manager, Prudence Anderson 0404 821 935 or (02) 8296 7817 17.

Industry News

21

Ritchies’ annual supplier day On the afternoon of the 17th February, Ritchies CEO Fred Harrison, together with his executive team, presented a business update in front of a packed house of more than 200 industry suppliers and stakeholders at the Sandhurst Golf Club. Many participants had played an Ambrose competition of golf in the morning prior to this function.

Sales for the group, whilst challenging, are performing solidly at 3% growth – like for like. This is an excellent result given the proximity of stores in Victoria, Queensland and NSW to Aldi, Coles and Woolworths stores.

Fred explained the Ritchies group continues to rapidly invest back into its business with many refurbishments completed and many more yet to begin.

The Mount Waverley store in Victoria is the most recent refurbishment that now includes a sushi bar, similar to Mount Martha which is booming.

Queensland State Manager, Peter Lee, launched the “Master of Meat” initiative. This will be a distinct Ritchies point of difference. Ritchies will be promoting, marketing and selling the highest quality freshest cuts of meat, including preprepared meals in clean packaging, along with recipes to become known as the “Masters of Meat”. Butchers will be in house and will be up close and personal with customers giving them the fresh cuts of meat they want every day.

The much anticipated highlight of course was the official announcement of when the Fisher group of Supa IGA supermarkets

would finally be absorbed into the Ritchies group of stores.

Alan Fisher, owner of the 102 year old Fisher Group of supermarkets and son of supermarket pioneer for northern Victoria, Bill Fisher, has sold 15 of his stores to the Ritchies group. This includes all packaged liquor stores and 7 service stations attached to these supermarkets.

The audience was excited by the prospect of the Fishers stores being absorbed by another independent group but saddened that the 100 year old Fishers Group would no longer exist. Fred Harrison and his team explained that the transition of stores from Fishers to Ritchie’s would be well planned and measured given the difference in the way each group operates and the many differing demographics that exist in Northern Victoria.

Fred also took the time to explain the tragic situation of the Beechworth store in north eastern Victoria being deliberately burnt to the ground. This has had a major effect on the town with local jobs being put on hold and the only supermarket in the town no longer there. Ritchies will be installing a “pop up” supermarket in a local building until a new supermarket is built sometime in the future.

Key note speakers included; CEO Fred Harrison; Queensland State Manager, Peter Lee and General Manager for Liquor, Karl Loh and Special Guest Speaker and motivator, Mark McKeon.

Mark spoke about the day to day stresses of work and life balance and introduced to the audience the “Go Zone” concept of being most effective with your time and achievements at work.

Winners of the Ambrose Golf Competition 1st – 69 (58.5) – Carlton and United Breweries 2nd – 68 (58.75) – Unilever Group 3rd – 71 – (60.5) – Downes Brokerage Group

Ritchies CEO, Fred Harrison

Ritchies Liquor GM, Karl Loh

www.mga.asn.au

22

Industry News

GreenDay provides platform for sharing stories on sustainable HVAC

Experience ebm-papst

The second open ebm-papst A&NZ GreenDay has recently taken place at Box Hill Institute’s Integrated Technology Hub in Melbourne.

Specialist speakers from industry and government shared the latest news on energy efficiency for HVAC and refrigeration systems, upcoming changes in legislation and energy reduction solutions.

The morning was split into sessions on legislation and policy as well as hands-on business cases to explore the challenges and strategies employed when completing energy saving projects.

Among others, presentations were held by Evalin Ling, Sustainability Leader at AG Coombs, on what sustainability means in the HVAC industry. Dave Redden, Principal at Refrigeration Innovations, shared success stories on supermarket refrigeration upgrades and Sumit Oberoi, Executive Director at AMCA, formally introduced the Climate Control Centre of Excellence. Thomas Heine, ebm-Papst A&NZ Market Manager, shared updates on the VEET scheme, while Scott Bokscay, CEO at Sustainable Melbourne Fund, gave an overview of the 1200 Buildings Project.

2016 marks the fifth year of the worldwide ebm-papst GreenDay, and the second instalment of an event that is open to HVAC&R industry professionals in Australia. The audience consisted of consultants, contractors, small business owners, HVAC professionals and TAFE teachers and students.

Reduce fan energy use by up to 50% and cut maintenance costs – retrofit highly efficient EC fans to your HVAC&R systems. The key to energy efficiency projects is capital return, making the savings exceed the costs as quickly as possible. ebm-papst are Australia’s leaders in high efficiency EC fans for quieter operation, lower energy bills and almost zero maintenance.

Steve Sellars from MGA also attended and he mentioned it was good to see other corporate partners of MGA attend the GreenDay presentation, Ian Williamson from trg was in attendance along with Catherine Smith from Keemin Electrical.

• trg work very closely with Dave Redden and store owners when designing new stores and planning major refurbishments regarding their HVAC and refrigeration requirements.

• It is a good idea for store owners to speak with market leaders such as ebm-papst, trg, Keemin, LEDified and others when upgrading their HVAC and refrigeration or considering energy saving ideas.

The next GreenDay is scheduled to take place in Sydney in August.

Please contact Caroline Bommes if you are interested in speaking or attending.

Phone: +61 3 9360 6400 | http://www.ebmpapst.com.au

www.ECupgrades.com.au

IRefrigeration Innovations director Dave Redden GreenDay audience

March 2016 - Edition 2

Industry News

23

SPAR launches new store In Wilton SPAR Australia welcomed the addition of another new store to their family on 30th January, 2016, with the grand opening of SPAR Wilton.

SPAR is excited to be working with retail veterans, Paul and Renè Randall, as well as their children Aidan and Maliyah. Paul and Renè have a combined forty years of retail history, including senior retail management experience and ten years of store ownership.

With the opening of their new SPAR store in Wilton, south of Sydney, the Randalls will support the local community by providing a much needed supermarket in the new Wilton Plaza Centre, working with local community groups and providing employment opportunities.

Until the arrival of SPAR Wilton, locals were forced to drive to Picton or Campbelltown for their grocery needs.

“We aim to ensure we are a part of the growing community,” says Paul.

SPAR Wilton will offer superb fresh produce, a full service deli, quality meat delivered fresh daily, a great grocery range and strong dairy, frozen and general merchandise ranges to ensure the community can source all of their supermarket needs locally. Their friendly service and value offer, combined with their convenient trading hours will ensure SPAR Wilton’s popularity with their customers.

“We will be a store where you can meet all of your weekly shopping needs at competitive prices. We have also implemented a great loyalty program to reward customers who shop with us.” says Paul.

SPAR Wilton welcomed new customers to inspect the store and join the celebrations at their grand opening which was held on Saturday 30th January. There were taste testings, giveaways, a sausage sizzle, live entertainment provided by the local community radio station and great specials. Children were entertained with a very popular kindi farm, a jumping castle, face painting, fairies, a magician and balloon characters. The event was very well attended, with over a thousand locals coming along to support the launch!

State MP Mr Jai Rowell, Wollondilly Shire Mayor Simon Landow and SPAR Australia’s Managing Director Lou Jardin joined the Randall family for the formalities, each saying a few welcoming words and participating in the cake and ribbon cutting ceremonies.

As soon as the ribbon was cut, customers flooded into the store and were pleasantly surprised by the great range and value they found on offer.

Providing significant local employment, as well as the convenience of a supermarket in Bingara Gorge Estate, has already resulted in huge support from the community. The great team of enthusiastic staff set very high standards within the store right from day one.

Their enthusiasm and friendly approach to their customers are an asset to this new business.

Located at Shop T4, Wilton Shopping Plaza, 1 Greenbridge Drive, Wilton, SPAR Wilton will offer 7 day trading, from 6am to 8pm daily.

Locally owned and operated, SPAR Wilton is part of the worldwide SPAR family. Over 12,300 SPAR stores in over 40 countries meeting the needs of over 13 million customers daily. At SPAR you can be assured of great service, a great range, low prices every day and specials that will SAVE you money!

www.mga.asn.au

24

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March 2016 - Edition 2

Industry News - Liquor

25

Liquor News Geelong packaged liquor accord Several bottle shops in the City of Greater Geelong have signed a new liquor accord to reduce antisocial behaviour and theft in the local area.

The Geelong packaged liquor forum is made up entirely of bottle shops — the first of its kind in Victoria.

Approved by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR), the accord is a collaborative partnership between 60 liquor licensees, Victoria Police, the VCGLR and community stakeholders to promote the responsible service, sale and consumption of alcohol.

Packaged liquor licensees including Aldi, BWS, Bottlemart, Dan Murphy’s, IGA, Thirsty Camel and other independent operators have signed up agreeing to undertake extra measures to prevent minors from purchasing alcohol and reduce alcohol-related violence and amenity issues.

Agreements include sharing information on banned or troublesome patrons and refusing entry to minors. A banning notice prohibits an individual from re-entering any store in the accord for 12 months.

There are over 80 local liquor forums operating in Victoria. A forum

New “proof of age” card accepted in NSW Australia Post Keypass identity card is recognised from 1 March 2016 in NSW. Liquor & Gaming NSW announced that from 1 March 2016, licensed venues in NSW can accept the Australia Post Keypass identity card as valid evidence of age for patrons.

This change will provide young adults with an additional option to prove they are 18 years of age or over. The card is also used for this purpose in most other Australian states and territories. Further information on the Keypass identity card is available on the Australia Post website.

is a meeting of gambling and liquor industry representatives and interested community members who meet regularly to develop strategies to improve the operation of licensed premises and reduce alcohol-related harm and gambling issues in their local area.

Forums may be formalised with the establishment of a liquor accord; a written document that sets out specific aims, actions, objectives and strategies addressing local alcohol-related problems.

It may also include responsible gambling initiatives. There are 58 active accords across the state.

For further information about liquor forums and responsible service of alcohol please visit vcglr.vic.gov.au/home/liquor.

Liquor & Gaming NSW compliance checklists The Office of Liquor & Gaming NSW has developed a compliance self-audit checklist that can help your venue comply with NSW’s liquor and gaming laws.

Compliance officers from Liquor & Gaming NSW use these checklists when they audit licensed premises.

What’s in the checklists?

The checklists cover important legal requirements such as: • signage • advertising • deterring crime • noise • incident register • responsible service of alcohol • responsible conduct of gambling.

There have been three major changes to checklists: 1. The checklists have been written for the venue operator as opposed to the industry regulator; 2. All correct answers means that the venue operator has met that particular guideline or requirement; and 3. Licensees can test against their own licence conditions as stipulated on the vendor operators displayed licence.

We encourage you to check the link below to help monitor your compliance on a regular basis. https://www.liquorandgaming.justice. nsw.gov.au/Documents/liquor/law-andpolicy/Official%20Packaged%20Liquor%20 March%202012.pdf

www.mga.asn.au

Industry News - Liquor

26

World news headlines AB InBev posts 4% drop in profits

AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, has reported revenue growth of 6.3% in 2015, despite profits dropping by 4%, with total volumes dipping by 0.6%.

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March 2016 - Edition 2

Going forward, the brewer said “premiumizing and invigorating” the beer category as one of its key strategic priorities, citing millenial consumers as its target demographic.

The brewer also reconfirmed its £71 billion takeover of SABMiller to create the “first truly global brewer”, a deal it said was still on track to complete in the second half of 2016.

Four alcohol brands from India conquering the liquor markets of the world

1. Amrut One of India’s most famous single malt whiskeys, Amrut has a distinct and glorious reputation among the whiskey drinkers of the world. Named the third best single malt whiskey in the world

by Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible, a reputed whiskey guide.

2. Paul John Single Malt John Distilleries’ was first setup in Bengaluru by Paul P. John and produces the renowned Paul John Single Malt whiskey.

3. DesmondJi From Whiskey to Tequila, DesmondJi is one of the few agave based tequila products in the country.

4. Soul Tree Wines One of the Indian based wines to win a coveted award at the International Wine Challenge held last year in London, the UKbased Soul Tree wines is one of the emerging wine producers in the world.

Which country drinks the most amount of alcohol per capita?

South Korea. Drinking isn’t just a national pastime in South Korea, for many of its 50 million people it is a way of life and its citizens drink an average of 14 shots of hard liquor a week. Just under a million Australians consume on average more than 8 standard drinks per day, equivalent to more than four times the recommended guidelines.

Qatar to deal ‘very gently’ with World Cup fans Don’t worry football fans, if you’re planning to attend the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, you’ll still be able to get a drink and although it’s illegal in Qatar to consume alcohol or be drunk in public, Qatar has promised to deal “very gently” with violators during the event.

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www.mga.asn.au

28

Industry News - Liquor

Brown-Forman hosts: MGA Liquor Committee February meeting Brown-Forman kindly hosted the MGA Liquor committee’s first meeting for 2016 at their new Melbourne state office.

There was a full agenda of items that included; • Update on the Harper Review recommendations for the implementation of an “Effects Test” • National membership • ACT Liquor Advisory Board appointment • QLD new Class of License • SA State Government liquor discussion paper submission • National Wage Review 2015/16 • Fair Work Submission for the reduction of Sunday penalty rates

Other guests in attendance were Peter Karkazis, ACT multi store owner, representing MGA on the ACT Liquor Advisory Board and Company Secretary of Independent Liquor Retailer Group, Tony Leon Director Steve’s Liquor Group and ALM General Manager Southern Regions, Bernard Hughes.

Darrian Williams, Brown-Forman, National Business Manager – Field Sales then gave a presentation on the Key spirit category trends and insights into the sales efforts of Brown-Forman over the next five years (full presentation is available on the MGA website).

(L-R) Bernard Hughes ALM; Michael McShane Brown-Forman; Jos de Bruin MGA; Angelo Giannetta; Peter Karkazis Local Liquor; Rita de Fazio; Darrian Williams Brown-Forman; Frank Palumbo; Andrew McNamara BrownForman; Alex Giannetta Cellarbrations; John Rodriguez; Jeff Harper; George Kovits; Tony Ingpen; Nick Cook; Michael Reddrop; Tony Leon Steve’s Liquor.

Brown-Forman’s Managing Director ANZSEA, Michael McShane, and Australian Sales Director, Andrew McNamara, were also in attendance and shared their industry insights, followed by a question and answer session.

DrinkWise supporting young indigenous mens’ and womens’ programs DrinkWise is a proud supporter of two Red Dust programs seeking to improve the health and wellbeing of young indigenous women and men in remote NT communities.

The Strong Young Women’s Program has commenced, providing holistic health and wellbeing education, with an emphasis on alcohol and FASD education, to young women across Alice Springs and town camps in the NT. Primary prevention strategies are fundamental to encouraging positive life outcomes for young indigenous women, and are at the foundation of Red Dust's programs.

The program is being delivered to young women across multiple sites including schools, diversion programs, rehabilitation and town camps. Advisory groups incorporating local elders and respected female community members have been established to provide ongoing consultation throughout the program.

In 2016 DrinkWise also continues to support the men's Healthy Living and Alcohol Education and Community Empowerment Program.

March 2016 - Edition 2

Your committee welcomes any enquiries on issues you may have and

members are welcome to attend committee meetings. Meeting dates and venues are posted on the website, or call the MGA Support Office 1800 888 479 option 3.

Penfolds named most admired wine brand Treasury Wine Estates' iconic label, Penfolds, has been named as the world's most admired wine brand in a poll in the UK. The poll, conducted by UK publication, Drinks International, polled more than 200 of the world’s top masters of wine, sommeliers, commercial wine buyers, educators and journalists.

This year's result saw Penfolds come out on top, usurping two-time winner Torres; the Spanish label came second, while US brand Ridge Vineyards was named third.

The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands editor, Holly Motion, said: “You cannot buy your way into the list or rely on marketing spend to secure a place. Some of the biggest ‘brands’ do not appear. Five million-case brands are trounced by brands that sell 100th of that.

Old and new world wines sit in an order many would not expect or necessarily agree with.

“There is no sure-fire way of getting into the top 50 and Penfolds’ ability to appear in all six lists is a testament to its brand identity and ability to not only stay in the Academy’s consciousness but to push to the forefront of it.”

The win for Penfolds was followed with a good result for other Australian wines, with Yalumba (19), Brown Brothers (28), Jacob's Creek (33), Wolf Blass (39), Lindemans (42) and Hardy's (44) all placing in the top 50 brands in the world.

Industry News - Liquor

29

NSW Government announce that the public to have its say in independent review of lockouts, last drinks and 10pm liquor laws The public is being invited to have its say in an independent, evidence-based review of the 1.30am lockouts, 3am last drinks and 10pm takeaway liquor laws that will be led by a former High Court judge, Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice Troy Grant announced today.

Mr Grant said the NSW Government had appointed former High Court Justice, the Hon. Ian Callinan AC QC, who helped establish the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption in Queensland, to lead the statutory review of liquor laws which were introduced in 2014 in response to alcohol-fuelled violence.

The review will assess the effectiveness of the 1.30am lockouts and 3am last drinks legislation that apply in Kings Cross and Sydney CBD precincts while also looking at the state-wide 10pm restriction of take away liquor sales. The review will also examine the periodic licensing fee system for NSW licensed venues.

“Hearing from the public and all interested stakeholders will be a crucial component of the Callinan Review and I encourage anyone who has a view to express it in writing.

“Mr Callinan is the right man for the job because he has a lifetime of experience leading evidence-based inquiries and exercising the independence of an official of the highest court in our country.”

The review’s terms of reference include examination of the impacts on alcohol-related violence and other harms and impacts on business, patrons and community amenity.

Mr Callinan will provide his final report to Government in August 2016. Government will consider the findings and recommendations before providing a response later in 2016.

He will be assisted by Senior Counsel, Jonathan Horton and the Destination NSW, NSW Police Force, NSW Health, Liquor and Gaming NSW, Treasury and Premier and Cabinet

“The Callinan Review will provide an independent, open and transparent assessment of the state’s liquor laws, focusing on the facts, to advise the NSW Government on the future of these laws in NSW,’’ Mr Grant said.

Submissions can be made online or by mail. Further details of the review and consultation process are available at http://www.justice. nsw.gov.au/liquorlawreview

“I want to make it clear it does not have a foregone conclusion – it will be guided by the evidence and the experiences of the people of Sydney and NSW.

Additionally, the NSW Government will host a Safe and Vibrant Sydney Nightlife Roundtable. Feedback from this roundtable will be considered as part of the Callinan Review.

Sydney liquor licence freeze Freeze extended for Kings Cross and Sydney CBD entertainment precincts Liquor and Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) – the amalgamation of the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) and the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority has extended the liquor licence freeze to 19 February 2017 for the Kings Cross and Sydney CBD entertainment precincts.

The extension allows for completion of the Callinan Review and consideration of its findings, ensuring measures implemented to address alcohol-related violence in these precincts remain unchanged while the review is in progress.

The freeze prevents the following types of new liquor licences from being granted.

• Hotel • General bar • Club • Producer/wholesaler

• Packaged liquor • On-premises licences for public entertainment venues (e.g. nightclubs) The freeze prevents permanent extensions of trading hours and restaurants from getting a primary service authorisation.

The freeze also prevents the approval of approving the following applications if it will increase the number of people entering a precinct to drink alcohol or increase the patron capacity of a licensed premises: • an on-premises licence (other than a public entertainment venue) • an extension of trading hours • a variation or cancellation of licence conditions • a change in the boundaries of the licensed premises The freeze also applies to development consents from the City of Sydney Council – if the consent is needed for development for which an application under the Liquor Act cannot be approved because of the freeze.

www.mga.asn.au

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Industry News - Liquor

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Steve’s Liquour planning future growth Two father and son teams look to expand the Steve’s Liquor Group.

Some ten years after founding Steve’s Liquor Stores, Glen Skelton and his son, Steve, have joined forces with Tony Leon and his son, Simon, to drive the growth of the Steve’s Liquor Group throughout Victoria and Tasmania. Collectively the directors have over 60 years of liquor industry retail and wholesale experience.

The group started with three stores located in Chadstone and Springvale, Victoria and one store in Lindisfarne, Hobart. It was quickly identified that by keeping the cost of business low, an opportunity existed to develop larger format sites in Tasmania that could offer consumers a wider product range at better everyday pricing in that market.

Steves Liquor Springvale South

This resulted in the opening of the Derwent Park store, in the northern suburbs of Hobart, servicing retail customers and also sporting and community organisations which have historically been under serviced in that market.

Steve’s Liquor – St Kilda

Steves Liquor – Launceston

Steves Liquor – Springvale South

Steve Skelton – Steves Liquor

Since partnering with Tony and Simon, the group has opened a second large site in Launceston and also acquired quality convenience driven businesses in Richmond, St Kilda and Echuca, Victoria bringing the current total number of stores to eight.

Steve Skelton when asked about the future of independent retailers went on to say “I think the independent sector has a really great opportunity to be strong in years to come if we can focus on being great at the things we can control, like providing excellent family based customer service, keeping clean, friendly and easily shop-able stores and also providing good value every day to our customers. I think as retailers, it’s very easy to become focused on price alone and to ignore a lot of the other things that in a lot of ways are even more important to our customers”.

“As the majors focus more and more on private brands, the independent sector really has an opportunity to work with quality brands that our customers know and trust. We have a great opportunity to run our stores uniquely and appropriately for their locations. Whilst we want our customers to have confidence they can expect great customer service and a nice clean shop whenever they visit any of our stores, being independent allows us to focus on Cognac, for example in our Springvale store and to focus on wine and craft beer in our Richmond and St Kilda stores”.

“Mr Leon jokes that we only need a two minute board meeting to decide to make a change in our business, and we can source products for customers quickly or we can trial a new product or we can change a price without delay. We trust our managers to make good decisions for their individual stores and as such we hope they feel connected to our business and that this is reflected in the experience their customers have in our stores”.

On the question of the value of having a banner group’ membership

Mr Leon stated that “within a few weeks of joining the Steve’s Liquor Group he realised that they could not negotiate the deals required without having a relationship with wide range wholesalers such as ALM, who through their size and volume through-put can negotiate the best deals with both large and small suppliers. Being part of one of their banner groups also gives you access to the best promotional pricing on a case without having to purchase large quantities of a product”.

Because of its unique position in the market, Steve’s Liquor also provides a service to other independent liquor stores, restaurants, bars, function centres, sporting clubs and community organisations.

Glen Skelton commented that “we have been sought out by suppliers, both in Australia and overseas, to launch and promote products for the independent trade. Products that meet our criteria of high quality, and competitive pricing, for example Flynn’s Cider, Primus Belgian Beer and Freshwater Bay Sauvignon Blanc have generated an important profit stream for both Steve’s Liquor and other independent liquor stores”.

The final word comes from Steve “together with Mr Leon and his son, Simon, my father Glen and I hope to continue to expand our business in the future. Simon and I are told that our fathers one day wish to retire, but we don’t believe a word of it!!”

www.mga.asn.au

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Legal and HR

Legal and HR Dealing with problem customers You and your employees are not going to be able to please all of the people all of the time, no matter how much empathy you show or how tactful and diplomatic you are.

However, if you adopt a correct approach, you can rescue many situations which would have resulted in another lost customer. Your employees may not fully understand how to deal with difficult customers so here are a few suggestions that may help your employees and supervisors to deal with a problem.

The problem: When a person complains about something, it’s important to remember that they’re not attacking you personally. It is crucial that you maintain a respect for the person even if you don’t respect their behavior towards you.

Remember that you have the control: You must not get angry, but remain calm, as your restraint will allow you to remain in control.

If you adopt this approach whenever you’re faced with an irate customer, you’re likely to eventually win the customer around. The moment you start reacting emotionally to the situation it will escalate the problem even further.

Listen before saying anything: Once you have asked the person to explain their problem or issue to you, it is then crucial that you listen without any kind of interruption until they have finished. This will allow the customer to explain their frustrations to you, and allowing them to finish, will go a long way in good will.

Display empathy: Once they have finished their explanation, it is important that you try to look at the situation from their perspective. Saying things like, “I can understand your situation” can have a real positive effect of calming the person down to an extent to which you can start having meaningful dialogue between you.

Identify the issue: Once you have identified what the problem is, it is important that you reiterate it to the customer so that they are sure that you have heard them correctly.

Once they have acknowledged that you have understood them correctly, you can reiterate your apologies and then start to work on a resolution to the problem.

Don’t apportion blame: Before resolving the problem, it is important that you don’t

Dealing with staff register problems It often happens that an employee who works on the cash registers makes errors by over stating the change or a customer is disgruntled by receiving an under amount of change. These errors will naturally be a loss for a store or result in a dissatisfied customer. Occasional errors are an inevitable consequence of working in money handling jobs but, if an employee is responsible for continually making errors or significant amounts are missing from a register then the problem needs attention.

Obviously, training is a prerequisite for any checkout operator and this should be given prior to an employee commencing work on registers. We need to operate on

March 2016 - Edition 2

the premise that no one can be 100% right every time, however, once training is given to an employee the employer is entitled to expect a reasonable level of expertise.

It there appears to be a continual problem then retraining should be provided and an official warning given to the employee that improvement is expected . If after retraining the problem continues then the employer should consider whether the employee is suited to the role. MGA has a register policy that is signed at the time the training is provided and a second policy where it is necessary to retrain. These are available at no cost to members. Call us and we will forward the policies to you. Call Legal and HR on 03 9824 4111 (line 1).

apportion blame – either to the customer or to your company directly to prevent damaging its reputation further.

The resolution: There is never going to be a successful outcome every time and what may be a satisfactory resolution for one customer may not work for another but what is important is to go about trying to resolve the problem in a way that will leave everybody to the problem in a better position.

If you have any further queries, regarding dealing with problem customers, please feel free to contact the MGA legal and HR Team on (03) 9824 4111 (line 1).

The great plastic bag ban debate Already many States and Territories have bans on the use of plastic bags and it looks like the issue of ridding the country completely of plastic bag usage is under way. In 2009 South Australia banned the use of disposable bags and that resulted in a 45% reduction in plastic waste in SA. NSW, Northern Territory and Tasmania have followed the lead of SA and now it looks like NSW and Queensland will fall into line. However, Queensland and NSW are only in discussion about the issue.

That leaves Western Australia and Victoria waiting for their respective state governments to take action.

Whatever decisions are made in Queensland, NSW, Victoria or Western Australia there will be an implementation process of “phasing in.” The states and territories that have banned plastic bags went through a process of advice and guidance to the public and retailers to enable the transition to life without the use of plastic bags. There will no doubt be further debate before there is any final decision and we will keep members informed of developments.

Legal and HR

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2015 Queensland Trading Hours Review Regulation of retail trading hours continues to vary across Australia. The Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales have almost completely deregulated retail trading hours, whereas Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland remain closely regulated.

In Queensland, existing retail trading hours allow independent retail shops in some areas of the State to trade during periods when the duopoly are required to remain closed. This most often occurs on Sundays or later in the evenings, providing numerous independent retailers with the opportunity to compete and remain competitive.

To strengthen their competitive advantage, in 2015 the duopoly, represented by the NRA, made several applications before the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) to deregulate trading hours. Trading hours matters were heard before the QIRC concerning Dalby, Goondiwindi, Robina Town Centre, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, and all of South East Queensland.

MGA opposed all of the applications leading considerable evidence in each matter. In Dalby there were 19 MGA witnesses in

opposition to the application. The local Council also led evidence opposing the application. In an unexpected decision the QIRC approved the application subject to some minor changes to the requested trading hours.

In Goondiwindi, MGA was more successful with the QIRC rejecting the NRA application in whole. MGA with the support of 8 witnesses, some of whom were not grocery retailers, convinced the Commission that the NRA application was deficient, and that Goondiwindi should retain Sunday trading for independent retail shops only.

In an application largely affecting regional areas across Queensland, the NRA requested that the QIRC permit trading for non-exempt stores on Sunday 27 December and Monday 28 December 2015. MGA in opposition to the application led 7 witnesses before the QIRC with the Commission agreeing to prevent the duopoly from trading on the Sunday.

21 witnesses, including expert evidence from Bruce Dier of Factuality, which is a leading Australian market research firm and Professor Robert Baker of the University of New England. Final submissions for SEQ are due in mid-April with the decision not expected until the second half of 2016.

In the Robina Town Centre and Pacific Fair Shopping Centre application, the NRA is aiming to extend the Monday to Sunday trading hours of non-exempt stores.

Due to its location, Coles and Woolworths in the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre already operate with extended trading hours and therefore only the two Woolworths and one Coles store in the Robina Town Centre will be affected. MGA is required to submit our final submission in mid-May with the decision from the QIRC expected in mid to late 2016.

At this time, the matters of South East Queensland (SEQ), Robina Town Centre and Pacific Fair Shopping Centre remain on going. The SEQ matter saw MGA lead

MGA’s unyielding efforts in opposing the applications also appears to have provided some ‘breathing space’ for our members’ stores with no new applications being filed by the NRA thus far in 2016. Working with our Members we are now considering what legislative changes may be brought about to secure existing regulations into the future.

will not be enforceable in order to demote or terminate the employee if they prove unsuitable. .

A more flexible approach is to place the employee on a fixed term contract for their new position to allow time for the employee to either prove or disprove their capacity to fulfil the role.

It is essential that if you consider a fixedterm contract in this scenario that you specify the start date and end date of the contract, and the options available to the parties at the conclusion of the fixed-term period. Members must avoid proceeding with the arrangement beyond the expiry of the fixed-term period without implementing a new contract.

If the employee proves suitable, at the end of their fixed-term contact you can write a new contract with the confidence that the employee will be able to complete their required duties on an ongoing basis.

Without the flexibility of a fixed term contract, if the employee proves unsuitable for their new role, performance management processes and warnings need to be applied to terminate or demote the employee. This procedure can be slower and creates additional risks for the employer that could have been avoided.

Promoting your employees MGA receives numerous calls from members who have decided to promote employees into supervisory and management positions. These employees have shown excellent skills and capabilities in their existing roles, and it is then believed that these same abilities will transfer across into a more senior role.

While this option provides many advantages, internal promotions need to be managed correctly to account for instances where the employee is not suitable for their new position.

When making an internal promotion, if the employee has already reached the total minimum employment period, so as to be able to make an unfair dismissal application, a clause in the employment contract specifying a probationary period

If the employee is unsuitable for their newly acquired role, at the end of their fixed term contract you have the option to return them to their previous position and consider other applicants.

For more information, please contact MGA Legal & HR.

www.mga.asn.au

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Legal and HR

March 2016 - Edition 2

Legal and HR

The Sunday penalty rates case In the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration 1919 a decision was made to provide a 100% penalty for any person who worked on Sunday, because working on Sunday meant employees devoted less time to family, social and religious activities. The consequence was to provide a higher hourly rate for this inconvenience. The payment of the additional Sunday penalty through an award has become firmly embedded as part of our industrial relations system and even though there is evidence to show that our societal values have changed over decades the Sunday penalty rate remains deeply entrenched. There is no longer the same level of emphasis on church attendance and today a significant part of our Sunday leisure time is spent in recreational and sporting activities.

However, original reasons for the introduction of the Sunday penalty are still regarded by some sources as sound reasons for its retention, in addition to the fact that it would be, in their opinion, economically disastrous to reduce the penalty rate. The Shops Distributive and Allied Employees Association (the SDA) is a strong opponent of any attempt to reduce the current Sunday penalty rate from 100% to 50 %. The SDA argues that Sunday is still a “family day� and that any reduction in penalty rates will not create more jobs.

Conversely, there have been numerous calls for changes to the penalty rate system calling for, at a minimum, the reduction from 100% on Sundays to at least 50% on the basis that society has

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changed, we are a seven day society and in the retail industry in particular, Sunday work is no different to any other day of the week.

The impact of high penalties continues to affect the livelihoods of many small retailers. In some areas stores only open on Sunday if they self- operate the business or use family members as labour.

This naturally impacts on their lives and the lives of their families.

Some retailers prefer not to open their businesses at all on Sunday.

This has a serious impact on employment because if the cost of labour is too high and jobs are not available then ultimately both employees and employers will suffer losses.

The Sunday penalty rates debate is not new, and the case for change is currently before the Fair Work Commission (FWC). It is regarded as the largest retail case ever to be run in the Fair Work Commission.

Mr. Stuart Wood, the most senior Counsel for Industrial Relations in Victoria has been presenting the case on behalf of employers and with his support and the research that has been presented, in addition to the witnesses who have given their time we are very hopeful of success. The hearing in the FWC has also been made possible by the unity of the employer associations and the generous financial contributions that have been made by hundreds of businesses, including MGA members. The case will continue until April 2016 and a decision is not expected until later in the year. We remain optimistic as the case moves towards its conclusion and we will promptly report the outcome as soon as any decision is available.

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www.mga.asn.au

36

Training

Training Moving heavy loads Persons operating a forklift, whether it is a walkie stacker or a forklift truck need to be both competent and compliant, and it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that this is the case. Many employers ask untrained and unsupervised employees to operate walkie stackers or pallet jacks, which you may not see as a hazard, but can still have the capability to cause damage to employees, the general public and property.

Pallet jacks are used to make easy work out of moving large and heavy items from point A to B whilst eliminating the strain and energy on a person. They are also a great way to save time and money if used correctly and safely. When operating a pallet jack (even for a short time span) you should ensure you are wearing the correct safety equipment including steel capped boots, gloves and safety eyewear (if transporting dangerous goods).

Forklift trucks can be potentially more dangerous than a pallet jack. Therefore employers need to make certain that staff operating forklift trucks carry a current licence. Training in forklift operations needs to be kept up to date, is not just how well an employee can perform their job. It also involves compliance, health and safety and alleviates the risk of mitigation.

All incidents in the workplace relating to any equipment, but particularly involving the use of the forklift truck should be

documented, whether the incident is minor or serious. In recording the incident you need to assess the cause of the incident – how it happened, identify any gaps or issues there may be and take action to ensure it does not happen again. There are many ways you can record an incident and the more evidence you have, the better.

Use hazard report forms, incident reports, photos of incident, etc. in as much detail as you can.

You need to take care when filing these documents as too often when it comes to audits or litigation, not being able to find the documentation may be a costly outcome for your business. Always file the documentation in a place that will provide easy access if required at short notice, don’t just throw them on a shelf in the office somewhere.

Below is an example of what can happen.

You may think this has nothing to do with supermarkets, but we have seen some silly things take place with forklifts and walkie stackers.

Company fined following forklift injury Linde Material Handling Pty Ltd, an Australia-wide company involved in the sale, hire and service of forklifts, was fined $18,000, plus costs of $3,895 (without conviction) following an incident where a truck driver’s hand became entangled in the mast and mast channel of a forklift. On

10 October 2014, a Linde employee was loading forklifts onto a truck using another forklift. At the time, the company had no traffic management plan for loading and unloading trucks with powered mobile plant, creating a risk of serious injury as a result of being struck by, or entangled in, a forklift being used for this task. On that day, the driver of the truck was standing about a metre from the employee’s forklift observing the loading process. Once the loading was complete, he asked the forklift operator to lift him onto the truck on the tynes. Though the employee said he knew it was the wrong thing to do, he did it anyway. Whilst he was being lifted, the truck driver’s right hand became entangled causing serious bruising and lacerations.

Is your ACT RSA training up to date?

ACT RSA training

Have you checked the dates for renewal on your RSA certificates?

ACT RSA training needs to be updated every 3 years. MGA now has a dedicated refresher course available on our website which saves you time as opposed to doing the original course again. You are only able to do the refresher course if you have already completed the initial RSA course and will need to supply a photocopy of your original certificate. If your RSA ACT Certificate expired more than 30 days ago contact MGA.

When completing the Responsible Service of Alcohol training in Canberra you need to submit the evidence, or paperwork, once you have completed the online assessments. This is the case for the initial course and the refresher course. The evidence is a Statutory Declaration and a copy of a form of photo ID that must be signed by an eligible person from the list contained in the evidence guide.

Once you have completed the online assessment you have up to 3 months to submit this documentation. If not submitted within this time you may have to complete the online assessments again.

March 2016 - Edition 2

Training

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Do you have evidence of your staff food safety training?

Do all of your staff know the relevance of the temperature danger zone, or the 2 hour – 4 hour rule? Can you be sure your business will not suffer the consequences of a food poisoning outbreak?

Food safety standards place obligations on Australian food businesses to produce food that is safe and suitable to eat. A food business is any business or activity that involves the handling of any type of food for sale, or the sale of food in Australia.

The standards, which also contain health and hygiene obligations for food handlers, aim to lower the incidence of food-borne illness.

Section 3.2.2 of the Food Standards code states: Food handling – skills and knowledge (1) A food business must ensure that persons undertaking or supervising food handling operations have – (a) s kills in food safety and food hygiene matters; and (b) k nowledge of food safety and food hygiene matters, commensurate with their work activities Our new, updated online basic food handlers course is a great way to make sure your staff have the skills and knowledge required and they can print a certificate of completion on successful completion of the short assessment at the end of the course.

New Online Basic Food Safety Course - $25 Recommended for all staff where there is a requirement for staff to have the skills and knowledge for the work they are doing in any fresh food area. Suitable for deli, produce, dairy and freezer staff as well as cafes, restaurants and coffee shops.

It includes personal hygiene, cross contamination, receiving, storage and display of food, temperature and time control, cleaning and causes and prevention of food poisoning.

It is excellent value at $25 per course and can be completed in under an hour. A certificate is generated on successful completion of the course and assessment.

www.mga.asn.au

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Training

National Online Training Courses MGA delivers training and compliance solutions specific to the needs of independent retailers. We have a range of training and compliance solutions readily available for members.

Responsible Service of Alcohol This course deals with the skills and knowledge required to satisfy the requirements for responsible service of alcohol under state/territory legislation. All persons involved in the serving and sale of alcohol must complete this.

*Log in to our website with your member login to order you courses at these member prices.

RSA – WA, QLD, SA, NT

Duration: 3 hours Member Price: $45

Basic Food Handling

Duration: 20-30 minutes Member Price: $25 Food Safety Supervisors

Duration: 4-8 hours Member Price: $105

Food Safety Supervisors – NSW

RSA – ACT

Duration: 3-4 hours Member Price: $45 RSA Refresher – ACT

Duration: 4-8 hours Member Price: $150

(must be completed every 3 years) Duration: 1-2 hours Member Price: $30

Food Safety Supervisors Refresher Course – NSW

RSA Face to Face – VIC

Duration: 2-4 hours Member Price: $100

Duration: 4 hours Member Price: $49 See our website for regional RSA courses

Monitor Food Safety Program

Duration: 2-4 hours Member Price: $105

Food Safety Supervisor & Monitor Food Safety Program

Duration: 6.5 hours Member Price: $180

March 2016 - Edition 2

Responsible Service of Alcohol Do you have 10 or more staff to train in RSA? Contact us to see if we can organise an instore course. *Available in MELB Metro and surrounds.

Training

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Visit www.mga.asn.au to purchase our training courses

Health and Safety These courses aim to provide employees with information and instruction on their responsibilities and the responsibilities of management with regard to workplace health and safety.

Health & Safety Induction

Duration: 30 minutes Member Price: $25

Administer Workplace Health & Safety

Duration: 60 minutes Member Price: $40

Emergency Management

Duration: 60 minutes Member Price: $25

Updated online courses on the MGA website The system and courses have been designed to be user friendly and work on most devices, including desktops, tablets and mobile phones. As long as you’ve got internet access, you’ve got learning opportunities.

Food Safety

Food Safety supervisor course for all states except NSW: $105 Store Security

Duration: 30 minutes Member Price: $25 Manual Handling

Duration: 60 minutes Member Price: $25 Workplace Violence, Bullying & Harassment

Duration: 30 minutes Member Price: $25

Hazard Identification & Risk Management

Duration: 40 minutes Member Price: $40

Food Safety supervisor course for NSW: $150 *Food Safety supervisor refresher course for NSW: $100 *Food Safety supervisor refresher course is a new course developed for NSW. It contains the extra information on raw egg safety and allergens that the Food Authority now requires.

You need to refresh NSW Food Safety Supervisor training every 5 years.

Responsible Service of Alcohol – Special introductory price

RSA Online for QLD, SA, WA, NT: $45

RSA Online for ACT: $45 *RSA Online Refresher course for ACT: $30 *The ACT RSA refresher course is to be completed every 3 years after your initial qualification. You must be able to supply evidence of your original RSA certificate to do this course. The online course can be completed in around 1 to 1.5 hours.

www.mga.asn.au

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