Unfortunately, Retail Crime remains a significant concern for our members. As you may have seen over the weekend, the Victorian government has responded to our continued advocacy around stepping up retail crime legislation – leaving only Queensland and the ACT to take active steps in that area.
To be introduced in 2025 to Parliament, the landmark reforms will see Victoria join South Australia, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, in providing increased penalties in response to the growing prevalence of customer aggression and assaults. Tasmania is also consulting in this space. We are grateful for the ongoing collaboration with the SDA and National Retail Association (NRA) in this important area.
The ARA is pleased to host our second Retail Crime Symposium on 18 July in Melbourne, in collaboration with the NRA. It promises to be a high impact day, focusing on solutions with a diverse range of leaders – from retail experts and crime authorities, researchers and criminal psychologists to unions and government leaders. Tickets for this full day event are moving quickly, jump in now to reserve your spot.
Our events portfolio continues to expand, aligning with members’ priorities.
The impact of artificial intelligence is top of mind this year and tomorrow’s sold-out CEO Lunch at the Art Gallery of NSW explores this exciting topic with the best thought-leaders in the country. We look forward to sharing the highlights of this event.
The ARA is also proud to partner with the National Retail Federation and Comexposium on the inaugural NRF Big Show APAC in Singapore 11 – 13 June. I’m pleased to attend this milestone event alongside an Australian delegation of retail leaders. It’s not too late to take advantage of our ARA member discount at this link. For those who can’t attend, the ARA will once again offer exclusive insights from the program to our subscriber community.
Next, we turn our attention to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with our annual ARA and Deloitte DEI Symposium in Sydney on 27 June. Always a powerful platform to propel change in this important area, registrations are limited but are still open for this leadership event. The symposium also serves as a platform to launch our DE&I playbook which has been the fruit of a lot of effort by the ARA in collaboration with our industry leaders and strategic partner Deloitte.
Looking ahead, don’t miss your spot on our popular ARA Sustainability & Innovation Breakfast in Melbourne on 7 August, and be sure to submit your entry to our inaugural ARA Retail Awards on 19 September, also in Melbourne – with 14 awards open for nomination.
