Open letter from business organisations seeking urgent action on debit payments
Source: Pexels/Karolina Grabowska.
Ten industry associations representing Australian SMEs have come together to pen this open letter to the federal government, demanding urgent action be taken to avoid higher transaction costs for Australian retailers. The letter is in response to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) examining whether medium and smaller banks should be able to issue debits cards with one payment scheme on them, instead of two, such as Visa and eftpos.
Australia’s debit payments system is at a critical juncture, and we need urgent action so hundreds of thousands of businesses do not face the cost burden of higher transaction fees in-store and online.
Small business groups and unions strike deal to give part-timers in retail extra hours without penalty rates
Westfield shopping centre in Doncaster, Victoria. Source: AAP.
The Council of Small Business Groups Australia (COSBOA) and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) are jointly supporting changes to the retail award, which would allow 1.2 million part-time employees to work extra shifts without receiving penalty rates.
The agreement to change the
General Retail Industry Award was first struck between the peak retail union, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, and Master Grocers Australia, which represents independent grocers, and now has the backing of both COSBOA and the ACTU.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell has welcomed an agreement between the SDA and Master Grocers Australia to make.