The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released its retail trade figures for January 2017, revealing a 3.2% increase in turnover in trend terms compared to figures from January 2016.
National Retail Association (NRA) CEO Dominique Lamb warned the federal government must do its bit to ensure continued growth.
Lamb urged the federal government to respect a recent decision by fair work watchdogs to reduce penalty rates.
"If we are to ensure that retail doesn’t experience the same sluggishness in the first six months of 2017, it is vital that the federal government does not seek to overturn the decision by the Fair Work Commission on penalty rates.
“The independent commission came to the conclusion that a reduction in Sunday penalty rates will help foster job creation in the industry and allow in some cases retailers who currently close on a Sunday to now open their doors for trade.
“The decision by the FWC was not in line with everything the NRA had argued for in our submission, but we certainly saw it as a step in the right direction."
The ABS figures also showed a 0.4% seasonally adjusted increase for January 2017, compared to the 0.1% decrease in December 2016.
“In trend terms we also saw a rise in every single state and territory, which bodes well for the year ahead in the retail industry," said Lamb.