MEDIA STATEMENT
National Retail Association
Gary Black
Executive Director NRA
M. 0413 046 614
E: g.black@nra.net.au
NRA Helping Australian Business Grow.
6 November 2009
Federal Government Gets it Right in Review of Franchise Code
The National Retail Association
(NRA)
is Australia’s largest and most representative retail
organisation with over 3000 members and affiliates located across all Australian states and
territories.
Its membership includes a substantial number of franchisor and franchisee entities,
both small and large.
The NRA’s Executive Director Gary Black says the franchise sector, which has been subject to
a range of state and federal reviews over the last few years, welcomes the conclusion brought
to the process by the announcement yesterday by Small Business Minister Craig Emerson
that the Australian Government
had decided on its response to the Joint Parliamentary
Committee Report into the franchise sector.
“The reforms will provide significantly improved protections for franchisees while not
unnecessarily adding to the compliance costs of franchisors or intervening in the regulation of
the sector to the extent that would impede its efficient conduct.” Mr Black said.
“NRA now strongly advocates that the regulation of the sector going forward should be left to
the central government and encourages the states to defer to the federal government on this
issue. With so much COAG activity currently directed towards the achievement of uniform
legislation across Australia or the harmonisation of state laws,
it is counter-productive for the
states to enter the franchise arena.”
Mr Black said that “The certainty generated by Federal Government’s announcement should
be welcomed
by all parts of the franchise sector.
While the proposed reforms may not fully
satisfy franchisee or franchisor interests,
they represent a fair and balanced outcome which
will work in the best interests of the sector going forward.“
End.
NEWS 
