This morning the ARA hosted its annual general meeting for members.
We are pleased to share ARA CEO Paul Zahra's message, which notably spoke to a record set of financial results. Paul's momentous address represents his final event before ending his tenure with the ARA.
Thank you Paul for leading our organisation to such outstanding achievements over the past five years. You will be deeply missed.
CEO's message: Paul Zahra
It's an honour to address you today as we reflect on the 2024 financial year, a year marked by both extraordinary achievements and significant challenges.
We've faced a perfect storm of slow consumer spending coupled with rising business costs, creating intense pressure for our retail community.
Despite these headwinds, 2024 has proven to be a year of tremendous progress, unity, and resilience for the Australian Retailers Association.
Thanks to the hard work of our team, our members, and the broader retail community, the ARA has not only weathered these challenges but thrived. We've achieved record financial results, with a 16% increase in income and a net surplus of $1.5 million-a 232% increase over the previous year. This achievement speaks volumes about the strength of our financial foundations and our ability to deliver meaningful outcomes for our members, even during times of economic uncertainty.
Our ability to advocate, support, and lead the retail sector is rooted in these strong foundations and its why we can continue to champion our needs, drive industry reforms, and ensure we are strongly positioned for the future.
Looking back on our advocacy efforts in 2024, I am particularly proud of our proactive work at the government level. Our focus on securing industry-led reforms to the General Retail Industry Award (GRIA) marked a historic achievement, with four important variations approved by the Fair Work Commission.
These changes-ranging from shift break payments to updated overtime provisions-will benefit both employers and employees for years to come.
We also made significant strides in addressing the challenge of retail crime. Working with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA), we successfully advocated for legislation that now treats violence and abuse against retail workers as specific crimes, with increased penalties for retail theft.
This, along with our continued work on improving employment legislation for casual workers, underscores our commitment to a safer, fairer, and more supportive retail environment.
But our advocacy doesn't stop at the legislative front. We've focused heavily on helping businesses navigate the complex array of workplace reforms, including providing essential resources, hosting webinars, and expanding our services to ensure members are equipped to manage these changes.
Championing small business interests remained a top policy priority for the ARA, and we successfully advocated for government support for small businesses across energy, cyber security and mental health support.
Another key area where we've made a real difference is in community impact. The ARA listened to community and member concerns, and championed positive outcomes across sustainability, gender equality, diversity and inclusion and respect at work. We've spearheaded initiatives like the ARA Gender Equality Playbook and our Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Symposium, which brought together leaders to share best practices and build momentum for change.
We've also worked tirelessly to ensure that retail remains a safe place for everyone, addressing issues like sexual harassment with ongoing education, training, and policy collaboration.
Our membership base is strong, and the ARA continues to unify most major retailers in Australia whilst also representing smaller retailers (which make up more than 95% of our membership). This diverse representation ensures that voices from across the retail spectrum are heard.
The ARA continued to develop its events portfolio as a powerful vehicle for inspiration, information unity and relationship building. In 2024, we featured at least one key in-person event every month across both Sydney and Melbourne. We were deeply proud to host the inaugural ARA Retail Awards, celebrating the retailers making a real difference to the sector.
As we look to the future, our work is far from done. The pace of reform will only continue to accelerate. We must remain agile and responsive, whether it's in navigating new workplace regulations, advancing sustainability efforts, or advocating for small businesses, which remain a cornerstone of the retail sector.
One of the most exciting developments on the horizon is the proposed amalgamation with the National Retail Association (NRA). This move will create the largest retail body in Australian history, ensuring we can achieve even more for our members across advocacy, training, sustainability, and beyond.
As I look back on my time as CEO, I feel an immense sense of pride in what we've accomplished together – from policy and advocacy to sustainability and equity. The ARA has emerged stronger than ever-financially secure, politically influential, and poised to drive the retail sector forward into a new era. This success would not have been possible without the support of our President, Nicole Sheffield, the entire ARA Council, and our extraordinary team.
My sincerest thanks goes to my dedicated team both past and present, the growing ARA list of partners for sharing our vision and investing in us, our loyal members who have been with us through thick and thin, government at all levels- local, state and federal, the SDA union, and other industry and employer groups.
My time at the ARA has been unforgettable, and I thank everyone that I've had the privilege of working alongside during this remarkable journey.
In closing, I am incredibly optimistic about the future of Australian retail. Together, we are building a sector that is not only resilient but dynamic, inclusive, and forward-thinking. I couldn't be more eager to see the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.
