Assistant Treasurer, David Bradbury MP, today chaired the third meeting of the Retail Council of Australia in Sydney.
Mr Bradbury welcomed a new member to the Council, Mr Paul Greenberg of the National Online Retailers Association.
"Mr Greenberg is the inaugural CEO of the National Online Retailers Association, which was recently established to specifically address the needs of the fast-growing and innovative Australian online retail sector," said Mr Bradbury.
"The rise of online retail brings challenges but also many opportunities for the dynamic and evolving industry, and the Government looks forward to the important contribution Mr Greenberg will make to the Council."
Mr Greenberg is replacing Ms Deborah Sharkey of eBay who has moved on from her position with eBay Australia and New Zealand.
"I would like to thank Ms Sharkey for her valuable contribution to the Council and wish her all the best in her new role with eBay in the United States."
Mr Bradbury said that the Council discussed a wide range of issues impacting on the retail sector.
The Council was updated on the Government's ongoing work to consider reforms to the processing of low value parcels, which follows on from the Government's interim response to the final report of the Low Value Parcel Processing Taskforce in December 2012.
"Work is underway to prepare business cases and possible implementation plans to ensure that the costs and benefits of any changes to the Low Value Import Threshold are carefully considered."
"The Government will continue to consult with Council members and other stakeholders as this work progresses."
Ms Jeanette Allen, CEO of Service Skills Australia, one of the industry managed and government funded Industry Skills Councils that provide advice to the Government on their sector's skilling requirements, briefed the Council on the Retail Futures project.
"Retail Futures is a collaborative project being undertaken by Service Skills Australia together with retail industry representative bodies, aiming to map out the skills needs of Australian retail and develop a workforce strategy."
Part of today's meeting also focused on the issue of multinational taxation, with Treasury providing a briefing to Council members about the reforms underway in this area.
"The Gillard Government is committed to ensuring that large multinational companies pay their fair share of tax so that other taxpayers, including Australian retailers, do not have to carry a higher burden of taxation."
"We're taking action to ensure the integrity and sustainability of the tax system, which will assist in delivering the level tax playing field that retailers are seeking."
"Australia is at the forefront of G20 efforts in this area."
Mr Bradbury expressed the Government's appreciation to the Council members for their contribution to today's meeting, and the valuable input they provided on the important issues that were discussed.