Myer apologises for NDIS remarks after social media backlash
Major retailer Myer has been forced to apologise in the wake of comments by their CEO Bernie Brookes criticising the Government’s proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Yesterday Brookes told the media that a $350 increase in the Medicare levy would hurt retailers and that the levy: “is something they would have spent with us”.
This morning the retailer has issued an statement apologising to those offended by the CEO’s remarks but standing by them. In the statement Brookes said: “I apologise to those who may have been offended or hurt by the comments I made.”
He then went on to explain that Myer would prefer the NDIS was not funded through new taxes. “As a business, we are sensitive to imposts on the consumer by the government as this adds to negative consumer sentiment and that adversely impacts sales, profit and jobs. Ideally we would like any government initiative to be funded within the revenue stream it has, rather than through a new or additional tax take,” he said.
Wow. A stuff-up to eclipse Qantas. Nice work, Myer.
Back-pedalling like good-uns. This is going to require quite the PR effort to overcome. Nothing in the article is even close to the effort they’re going to need.
This weekend’s trading should give them a hint of how revenue can be lost in a flash. Judging by the Myer share price this morning, the market thinks it’s gonna sting them.
I’m guessing when KRudd gifted much of Australia with $900 as part of the economic stimulus he was a big supporter of government economic policy (the statement above misses out the comments they made on funding policy which seems an odd thing to say as part of an ‘apology’ from a retailer). I also wonder what he thinks the carers of the disabled are going to do with the support they receive…they have to spend it somewhere!
sigh. his point was that if the bloody government hadn’t overspent to such a degree in the first place, they wouldn’t need to whack out an extra tax
I can’t believe people are falling for this nonsense. the extra tax isn’t to pay for the disability scheme – that was already going to be paid for. It is a way to bring in extra money to cover the $12bn overspend in other areas
“I apologise to those who may have been offended or hurt by the comments I made.”
This is not how you make an apology. Remove the “may”. Similarly, “if we offended” apologies. Why is this so hard to understand?
Own up to a screw up, fast, and apologise properly.
Bit late to apologise, Myer. You just alienated 400,000+ families. There’s a reason Medicare shopfronts are in malls not hospitals: sheer, hard cash. And you just saw your shareprice plummet 3.4% this morning. Dear, dear. The whole point of stimulus/Medicare/DisabilityCare is to re-engage those who cannot otherwise participate with the economy. DisabilityCare will promote growth by helping the disabled and their families get out more, increase their earning potential, giving them more spare money after the wheelchairs and therapies are covered. When their basic needs are met, they have the time for retail. What carer doesn’t want a bit of pampering? The uber rich don’t bother with Medicare refunds. The needy do. Now I know why I prefer op shops and ebay. Major retailers are not nice people.
Er, fleshpeddler. Your and Brookes’ grasp of micro and macro economics appear to be very flimsy.
Fleshpeddler…do some homework. There hasn’t been an overspend. There has been a reduction in revenues versus forecast. The forecast is generated by Treasury… public servants aka the same Treasury Abbott will inherit for better or worse. If there’d been ANY spend on schools and health during the Howard years rather than squirrelling it away to make a political point (except for when they were giving it away to the middle classes) a lot of spend by this government would have been avoided.
I apologise for what I said but I stand by what I said. Is essentially what he’s saying.
Firstly, It’s not a tax, it’s a levy that allows funding for the NDISmto be quarantined from other budgetary pressures. Secondly, it will only cover $3 billion of the cost, $5 billion still needs to be found. So no, the NDIS was NOT already going to be paid for, and the levy will not be used to cover other revenue shortfalls. I’m no fan of Gillard, but this scheme is important and will help to improve the productivity of Australia going forward. It makes good economic sense!
A little hint for all of the “chardonnay” leftists ….This government doesn’t give a stuff about people with disabilities. If it did it could have introduced a completely funded scheme with a huge tax…sorry “levy “years ago with the support of the independents and greens. Instead it is using this emotive issue before the election to make Abbott come out and say he doesn’t support the new tax and thus present himself as a capitalist pig with no heart……I am so over Julia!
Ad Grunt…actually I got my degree in Pol Phil and Eco at a leading institution and did rather well.
Ricki….righto so what you’re saying is that there is no ministerial accountability for the departments they lead? not their fault they budgeted billions more than they received?
I’d love to work for a company you’re on the board for…
Australia is stuffed. We have no manufacturing industry. We have no real service industry. We will never be a major financial centre. Taxes are too high. There’s no incentive to employ. Labour laws are archaic. Mining is all we have to offer and even that is under pressure. Capital is fleeing the country, or, in the case of international investors, is being invested in more tax effective, less regulated economies. All recent governments have contributed to our demise, but the Gillard government has taken incompetence to a level not seen since the Whitlam years. Trust me – as the next few years unveil themselves we’ll soon realise the NDIS levy is the least of our worries.
“I apologise” is insincere.
“I am sorry” is sincere.
Big cheesy man at the helm of Myer doesn’t seem to get it? I agree that he must of loved the $900 from KRudd. Albeit, probably would have preferred it in Myer gift cards, however Gerry would have had something to say about that now wouldn’t he.
Large corporate Myer, potentially dying a death, slowly decaying as leaner businesses emerge online, with ethics.
BTW Mr grand cheesy man; the NDIS will create jobs in the care related arena and these workers will be spending money on stuff that Myer can provide.
If I were an adviser to the big cheesy guy I would tell him, urgently, to SAY SORRY!
Amazing how Myer has made this their issue!
Just got an email re a petition from Change.org asking for Myer to ‘show a real commitment to people with disabilities – increase disability employment to 10% by 2015’
At least it’s not Harvey Norman this time around…
I see there is a petition going around for Myer to increase their disabled employee numbers to 10% if they are genuine.
@One Man’s POV
Firstly stop listening to Ray Hadley – I promise you’ll feel better afterwards.
Then why not spend some time in Cyprus, Greece or almost any country in Europe, so you can come back to see ‘how bad we’ve got it’ in Australia.
You and many like you with a remarkable sense of unjustified entitlement seem to be determined to take the whinging title off the Brits.
Julia must be laughing her socks off at this. Talk about dodging a bullet.
Hey Client. A little hint for all of the “Grange” drinking right wingers. Abbott doesn’t give a stuff either.
Oh Fleshpeddler, at least we know what the Govt numbers are. Still waiting for any numbers from the LNP. And as for ‘so what you’re saying…’….by all means choose your own adventure but I didn’t say anything of the sort. How about you play the ball and not the man? Or didn’t they teach you how in ‘Pol Phil’?
but Ricki, your point was that Treasury was responsible for the numbers, not the government and the inference was that therefore they are blameless.
Isn’t that the point you made?
No.
Dear Blutack
I’m neither a right wing nutter, or whinger. I’m a middle of the road realist like most Australians. Cyprus, Greece and much of Europe are shining examples of what happens when countries embark on never-ending public spending and cast the social welfare net so wide that government assistance is seen as an entitlement. The only thing I believe I and every other Australian tax payer is entitled to is this – to know the government lives within its means and doesn’t waste my taxes on pursuing an ideological driven fiscal agenda that will fast turn us into ‘the white trash of Asia’ as Lee Kuan Yew warned us many years ago. And when three former ACTU presidents, Ferguson, Crean and Kelty, start publicly criticising the GiIlard Govt’s spending agenda and implore it to stop the class warfare and start to support those who create wealth and employment – you know the warning signs are there. Think about it.