- and coronavirus-affected communities, funding for financial assistance education for small and medium businesses, the permanent adoption of the instant asset write-off and the expansion of the Safe Retail Precincts program to regional areas. The NRA released the plan preemptively, ahead of expected changes to the minimum wage following the annual wage review by the Fair Work Commission and the next federal budget. Such a public and proactive approach is a new strategy for the organisation, which in the past has tended to lobby the government behind closed doors. But it reflects the seriousness of the current situation, according to chief executive Dominique Lamb. “The bushfires and coronavirus have created a perfect storm of added pressure that means we need the government to act,” Lamb told Inside Retail Weekly. “Whilst in the past we may have been more subtle about our messaging, I don’t think we can do that now. Now is not the time to be subtle.” Billion-dollar disasters Hard figures are hard to come by, but Terry Rawnsley, national leader for economic and social analysis at SGS Economics and Planning, has estimated the total economic cost of the bushfires to be $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion. ANZ Research has predicted the disaster will reduce GDP by between 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points in the final quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020, largely due to its effect on consumer sentiment. Of course, the cost of the bushfires is not evenly distributed across the sector, with rural and regional retailers bearing the brunt of it. Likewise, some businesses have been harder hit than others by the fallout from the coronavirus. Luxury brands popular with Chinese tourists and retailers that cater to international students have seen a sharp drop in foot traffic since the travel restrictions took effect earlier this month. “We know some centres are down by up to 60 per cent,” Lamb said, “and we know that some classes at QUT business school have 70 per cent of students not attending. Those are the kids who have come here, set up house and they’re spending money in our communities. Without that influx of people, it causes a lag.” It’s a lag that many retailers are ill-equipped to handle, coming off a year of gloomy consumer sentiment and minimal year-on-year spending growth despite the government’s gift of bigger tax refunds for many Australians and the Reserve Bank’s repeated interest rate cuts. And, as Lamb pointed out, there are consequences when retailers fail. “Because of the sheer number of businesses that operate in this space, because of how large an industry we are and how many people we employ, it will have other impacts,” she said. Lamb said the NRA is at various stages of conversation with state and federal governments about each of its proposals. For instance, it has been talking to the federal government about its Safe Retail Precincts program, an initiative to reduce crime, such as theft, in metropolitan areas. Now, it wants to extend the program to regional areas because, according to Lamb, communities that experience a natural disaster often see a spike in crime, such as fraud or  looting, in the aftermath. Other proposals, such as a 12-month ‘holiday’ on payroll tax seem more far-fetched. But Lamb believes it’s important to be on the front foot. “This blueprint came out because this is what our members are telling us they need right now. In the end it’s about getting the job done,” she said.