Policy & advocacy
Our priorities
Advocating for a stronger, more resilient retail industry
Current campaigns
Our policy and advocacy campaigns focus on the issues impacting retailers right now – giving the industry a strong, united voice on the decisions that affect business, people and communities.
Retail crime
Sustainability
Backing the retailers that back Australia
Economic reform
ARC's Policy Priorities 2026
This platform outlines ARC’s strategic vision for a thriving retail sector, focusing on economic growth, workforce development and community outcomes to ensure a resilient future for Australian retail.
Embrace a growth mindset
Given the important role that the retail sector plays in driving economic growth, we seek government policies that:
- Support the economic impact generated by the retail sector;
- Restore business confidence, particularly for small and medium businesses;
- Increase consumer confidence and disposable income;
- Apply downward pressure on business costs; and
- Reduce complexity by driving national alignment on state matters
Grow the retail workforce
To create more jobs and strengthen our position as Australia’s largest private sector employer, we seek polices that:
- Drive productivity through a flexible workplace relations system;
- Support triparate efforts to provide safe and inclusive workplaces;
- Connect people from diverse backgrounds with retail jobs;
- Co-invest in vocational training to upskill our sector; and
- Address residual vacancies and skills gaps through migration.
Collaborate on community outcomes
To create a more resilient, sustainable and future-focused sector, we need to partner with government on policies that:
- Accelerate collaboration efforts to reduce instances of retail crime;
- Navigate cyber security and the responsible use of technology;
- Accelerate our transition to the low-carbon, circular economy;
- Improve resilience of the local and global supply chain; and
- Drive investment in community infrastructure.
ARC submissions
Given the important role that the retail sector plays in driving economic growth, we seek government policies that:
- Support the economic impact generated by the retail sector;
- Restore business confidence, particularly for small and medium businesses;
- Increase consumer confidence and disposable income;
- Apply downward pressure on business costs; and
- Reduce complexity by driving national alignment on state matters