UNLOCK QLD JOBS

WE BELIEVE THE ISSUE THAT MATTERS MOST THIS STATE ELECTION IS JOBS. MORE JOBS FOR QUEENSLANDERS. A GREAT WAY TO UNLOCK QLD JOBS IS TO BACK FAMILY-OWNED SHOPS.

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Roz White, proud owner of IGA Baringa, with team.

Support family-owned shops to unlock more QLD jobs.

Your typical family-owned supermarkets, like IGAs, hire more people for every dollar spent in their stores, compared to corporate chain supermarkets.

At the heart of local communities across Queensland, family-owned supermarkets support local producers, farmers, suppliers and charities.

Queensland family businesses matter and need certainty to employ more locals and help our fantastic state to thrive.

Family-owned supermarkets could unlock even more jobs for Queenslanders if the State Parliament adopts policies that

Make Trading Hours Pro Family-owned Business

Create New Markets For Independent Alcohol Producers On Queensland

Make Payroll Tax Fairer

WE CAN UNLOCK MORE QLD JOBS
IF TRADING HOURS LAWS WERE PRO FAMILY BUSINESS.

Trading hours laws which are pro family business are also pro jobs. When family-owned shops have more business, they employ more Queenslanders and provide more fantastic service.

WE CAN UNLOCK MORE QLD JOBS
IF the state government lets family-owned businesses sell independent Queensland-made alcohol.

The State Government should allow family-owned businesses, like IGAs, to create a road to market for independent alcohol producers in Queensland.

This will support Queensland jobs and small businesses, increase competition and drive down prices.

WE CAN UNLOCK MORE QLD JOBS
IF the state government lets family-owned businesses sell independent Queensland-made alcohol.

The State Government should allow family-owned businesses, like IGAs, to create a road to market for independent alcohol producers in Queensland.

This will support Queensland jobs and small businesses, increase competition and drive down prices.

WE CAN UNLOCK MORE QLD JOBS
if payroll tax was fairer for family businesses.

Payroll Tax is a tax on Queensland jobs.

The State Government should reduce or exempt family-owned shops from Payroll Tax so they can employ more Queenslanders, create career paths in retail, and provide better customer service.

Authorised by Frank Spano, IGA QLD and Northern NSW Retail Chairman, c/o Suite 60, 207 Currumburra Road Ashmore QLD 4214.

Frank Spano, proud owner of Spano’s IGA, and team.

FAQs

Why are you running this campaign?

IGA stores are family-owned businesses that sit at the heart of local communities, supporting Queensland families, producers, farmers and charities wherever possible. Some 83,000 people have lost their job since in Queensland since February and with the support of the State Parliament and the right policy changes, we can help unlock more jobs. Queensland family businesses matter and need certainty to employ more locals and help our fantastic state to thrive, which is why we are asking MPs to back family-owned shops.

Where will I see this campaign?

You can expect to see advertising in newspapers and billboards in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville. You may also see social media advertising and posters in your local IGA. But most importantly, expect to see our 229 Queensland IGA retailers telling their story.

Why is this campaign different?

Because we are the little guy. We are independent family-owned businesses that together have 229 stores across the state, hiring thousands of employees who have got together to ask the Queensland government to back Queensland job-makers.

Who is funding this campaign and why?

Family-owned IGA stores across Queensland have got together to fund this campaign. This is a campaign by them and about them. The ads are authorised by Frank Spano, who is the proud owner of Spano’s IGA stores and the Chairman of the QLD & Northern NSW IGA State Board.

What are you asking from politicians?

Since February, 83,000 Queenslanders have lost their job. Family-owned businesses can be the job-makers for those Queenslanders, if the QLD Government does three things:

  1. Actively prefer family-owned businesses with trading hours laws, rather than prefer corporate chain stores, who employ much less people for the same trade. Recent trading hours changes allowed corporate chains to open for longer, which benefits the companies that automate checkouts rather than hire Queenslanders, the most.
  2. Create a pathway to market for Queensland boutique wine, beer and liquor producers, by letting family owned shops to sell their products. This will support Queensland jobs and small businesses and create new successful businesses which will employ more Queenslanders
  3. The State Government should reduce or exempt family-owned shops from Payroll Tax so they can employ more Queenslanders, create career paths in retail, and provide better customer service. This would remove the unfair situation where we are currently being penalised for hiring people in customer service, instead of automating checkout and other jobs. Almost all family owned shops in Queensland could be exempted from payroll tax if the threshold was raised to $25 million annual wages bill. This would mean that large corporate groups would pay payroll tax, and smaller family-owned businesses like IGA would not be penalised for hiring people.

You claim IGAs employ more people per every dollar spent than the other chain supermarkets. How do you justify this?

The evidence from our stores is that we employ at the rate of more than 100 people for every $20 million in annual turnover.

An analysis of the most recent annual returns for the major chain supermarkets shows they employ at a rate of between 55-60 people per $20 million in turnover.

This reflects our business focus on customer service and hiring local people.

Based on the above and the hundreds of conversations we have had with many family-owned supermarket owners, we know family-owned supermarkets employ at a rate which is least 50% greater than corporate chain supermarkets.

Why do you want trading hours changed?

Past deregulation of trading hours has seen corporate chain supermarkets increase their turnover, because their stores open for longer.

At the same time as hours have been deregulated, employment in corporate chain stores has fallen.

You can tell because if it had risen, then the union for those employees, the SDA, would have increased its membership, which it has not.

(SDA membership has fallen by 1.8% since 2003, even though hundreds of new stores were opened by the corporate chain supermarkets in that time (Trends in union membership in Australia 2018, a report to Parliament of Australia)).

That shows on a per store basis, the overall level of employment is falling in corporate chain supermarkets, which is not surprising given the proliferation of self-service checkouts.

Family-owned businesses can be the job-makers for those 83,000 Queenslanders, if the State Government stop deregulating trading hours.

What do you want the payroll tax to be for small family-owned businesses?

The threshold should be raised from $1.3m to $25m.  That would enable Queensland family-owned businesses to get on with employing more Queenslanders.

Why can’t you sell liquor now?

Some 65% of bottle shop turnover is through corporate chain shops, and getting access to those stores requires scale, which smaller producers don’t have.  Family-owned shops can create a pathway to market for Queensland boutique alcohol producers, benefiting our customers and theirs.

Need more info?

Use our online contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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