Deputy Premier, Minister for Small Business and Member for Monaro John Barilaro today announced a three-year extension to an agreement with Tabcorp to not extend lottery sales to supermarket chains until at least 31 March 2021.
Mr Barilaro made the announcement at the Queanbeyan Paper Shop today and said the agreement will extend support for the small business owners and newsagents who sell lotteries products.
Above: Small Business Commissioner Robyn Hobbs, CEO of the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association Adam Joy, Deputy Premier, Minister for Small Business and Member for Monaro John Barilaro and General Manager of ALNA NSW Ibram Kamil joined local newsagent Rod Higgins and his team for the announcement.
“About 1,400 lotteries agents sell lottery tickets in NSW, including newsagents, and these small business retailers are an essential part of any community, particularly in our regional areas,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The NSW Government has been working with stakeholders and Tabcorp, and we have signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will mean that NSW newsagents will not have to compete with large supermarket chain sales to sell their lottery products.”
Mr Barilaro said the agreement is great news for lottery agents in the Monaro.
“Lottery products are an important component of the products that newsagents sell, and this MoU will alleviate concerns about the potential impact on businesses if lottery product sales were extended to supermarket chains,” Mr Barilaro said.
Local newsagent Rod Higgins welcomed today’s announcement.
“This is good news for us, our business and our customers. It gives us a time frame and the ability to evolve the Queanbeyan Paper Shop,” Mr Higgins said.
CEO of the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA) Adam Joy welcomed the announcement.
“This is a win for small business and a victory of common sense,” My Joy said.
“Securing the extension of these protections for our members has been an important priority area that ALNA has been working diligently on with the Minister’s office.
“We greatly appreciate Minister Barilaro’s efforts and leadership to deliver what is a really positive extension period that will make sure newsagents will remain the primary outlets for the sale of lottery products.
“Lotteries don’t operate in a free market because governments regulate their access to consumers. This is a good thing for consumers and businesses, and it means that lotteries will continue to operate in a highly regulated way,” he said.
General Manager of ALNA NSW, Ibram Kamil, who is also a newsagent, said the extension would allow lottery agents to continue growing and evolving their businesses.
“This outcome, thanks to the support of the NSW Government, delivers certainty for newsagents and lottery agents. I know our members are going to really appreciate this,” he said.
In 2015 the NSW Government created the $15 million Newsagent Assistance Fund to support newsagents to update their lottery point of sale shop fit outs. This funding remains available for pre-existing eligible newsagency businesses who are yet to update their lottery retail image. For more information, please visit https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/business-and-industry-in-nsw/support/grants-and-assistance/newsagents-assistance-fund.
