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 Blueprint 2026
Across our engagement with members, three interconnected challenges sit at the centre of the policy conversation: how to improve productivity and healthy competition in a changing economy; how to ensure workplace relations settings support viable businesses and secure, rewarding jobs; and how to address the escalating crisis of retail crime and aggression towards frontline workers. These themes underpin the priorities outlined in this Policy Blueprint.
Embrace a growth mindset
Given the important role that the retail sector plays in driving economic growth, we seek government policies that:
- Federal leadership to enable national harmonisation
- Increase Australia’s productivity performance
- Grow small, medium and family-owned businesses
- Enable healthy competition and a level playing field
Grow the retail workforce
To create more jobs and strengthen our position as Australia’s largest private sector employer, we seek polices that:
- Address labour shortages and workforce growth
- Support upskilling to future-Proof the workforce
- Focus workplace reforms on flexibility and productivity
- Unlock economic and social gains through workforce inclusion
Collaborate on community outcomes
To create a more resilient, sustainable and future-focused sector, we need to partner with government on policies that:
- Prioritise retail worker safety by reducing retail crime
- Build a low carbon and resilient supply chain network
- Partner with industry for a circular economy
- Partner with industry on health and nutrition outcomes
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