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Violence in retail settings has emerged as a significant policy challenge in recent years across Australia. Recorded incidences of abuse and violence targeted towards employees in retail settings consistently increased during the pandemic and remain elevated during this current cost-of-living challenge. In response, some states have either considered or have indeed legislated laws specifically aimed at deterring the abuse from occurring in the first place. Abuse in retail settings is particularly alarming given the disproportionate number of workers in these settings that are underage. This McKell Data Briefing assesses this challenge from a Tasmanian perspective. It finds that retail violence and abuse is a persistent problem in the state and recommends that the Tasmanian Government consider adopting similar legislative measures as in NSW and SA to deter violence from occurring

SDA Submission to the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care

SDA Submission to Productivity Commision regarding Early Childhood Education and Care

SDA Submission to Treasury on Legislating the Objective of Superannuation

Submission to The Commonwealth Treasury Consultation on Pay Day Super

Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill (Letter)

SDA Submission for the Perceptions and Status of Vocational Education and Training Inquiry (Letter)

SDA Submission To Senate regarding Paid Parental Leave (Improvements for families and gender equality Bill)

SDA Submission to Treasury regarding Housing Legislative Package Exposure Drafts

Retail work is undergoing profound transformation, with rapid changes including digitisation, the collection and use of big data, and automation reshaping the industry and the skills required to work within it. These transformations have the potential to entrench and even exacerbate existing inequalities within the industry. Based on interviews with 30 senior stakeholders in retail and retail-adjacent industries, and a representative retail, fast food and warehouse workers survey (n=1160), this report examines perceptions and experiences of intersecting technological transformations occurring in the Australian retail industry and the changing skills sets required for the future of retail work.