Retailers have reiterated their strong support for a nationally consistent approach to regulation following the release of the Senate Economics References Committee’s Report on the need for a national approach to retail leasing arrangements.

The release of the report coincides with the Federal Government’s 2015 Autumn Repeal Day in which its purpose is to remove outdated red tape and regulation.

Australian National Retailers’ Association (ANRA) CEO, Anna McPhee, said the release of the report adds to numerous reviews and inquiries that support a nationally harmonised approach to retail leasing yet action has not been forthcoming.

“With occupancy related expenses a major cost for retailers now is the time for the Governments to act and demonstrate Australia is open for business,” she said.

ANRA welcomes the Committee’s recommendation that the Commonwealth provide leadership to encourage state and territory governments to move towards a harmonised approach through the COAG process.

“For retailers operating across multiple jurisdictions, the current patchwork of state-based regulations unnecessarily increases compliance costs for business.

“In our submission to the inquiry ANRA called for Federal and State governments to strike the right balance on implementing a national approach to leasing arrangements and not increasing the regulatory burden that adds unnecessary red tape and increases the cost of doing business.

“The implementation of any new framework should be cognisant of the Federal Government’s deregulation and red tape reduction objectives,” said McPhee.

“We will continue to work with governments to pursue meaningful reform in this area.

“The retail sector’s economic contribution could be improved by implementing reform to provide greater consistency for business, with lower compliance costs encouraging investment and supporting job creation,” she said.