NANA is not, nor does it pretend to be expert in dealing with health issues. Government authorities, both State/Territory and Federal are the appropriate sources of information to assist you to respond to health issues arising from COVID-19.NANA recommends you search out information from the NSW Government HERE, the ACT Government HERE and the Federal Government HERE.
Employee relations issues
Inquiries regarding how to deal with staff issues arising from COVID-19 should be directed to NANA on 1300 113 044 or by email to nana@nana.com.au. There will be different approaches to be taken depending on the nature of employment – full and part time and casual, the amount of leave employees have accrued and WHS requirements.
Information from suppliers
NANA is regularly in discussions with all major industry publishers, distributors and suppliers concerning securing the supply chain to ensure Newsagents have sufficient stock to continue trading. NANA expects all suppliers to regularly update their customers with reliable, factual information. NANA is aware that some major suppliers will move to set up information portals in the next 24 hours.
NANA believes accurate information is a key to managing the impacts of COVID-19. By providing factual and timely information, suppliers will be serving Newsagents, the sales arm which supports their business.
Business continuity insurance
On 11 March 2020 the Insurance Council of Australia declared COVID-19 an insurance catastrophe.
- The extent of claims and losses are unknown at this point.
- An insurance industry task force has been formed as part of this declaration to ensure that accurate claims data is captured by industry, and that industry positions on the virus can be understood by stakeholders.
- Most BI policies typically cover disruption to a business as a result of physical damage to assets that the business relies upon.
- Some BI policies respond to the closure of a business by an authority for a number of risks, including infectious disease, for example Legionnaires.
- In 2005/6 the global insurance industry began to introduce general exclusions for losses relating to quarantinable diseases.
- Whilst some specific policies may differ, in Australia the majority of business policies are likely to contain exclusions relating to losses caused by any disease notifiable under the Quarantine Act or in some cases the Biosecurity Act.
- A small number of businesses may have specialist cover, specifically written for them. Cover may be taken for disruptions to critical supplies from overseas, or a sudden drop-off in trade due to specific border closures.
- If you do not understand how your policy may respond to COVID-19 triggered losses, speak to your broker or your insurer for more information.
NANA believes that Newsagents should always have a business continuity plan which addresses how the business will respond to major disruptions. COVID-19 is and will continue to be a major disruption to businesses. NANA believes there will be compounding negative impacts over coming days and weeks.If your Newsagency business does not have a business continuation plan in place, it is never too late to start. An example of a simplified plan is available HERE.
At the very least, Newsagents must prepare an emergency contact list which includes all contact details for staff, banks, suppliers and major customers (including industry and service providers such as telecommunications accounts). The list should be in both print and electronic format. If you cannot access your work computers from home, install remote access software now and make sure you know how to use it.
NANA’s service to Members
NANA has implemented a business continuity plan. Our offices are located in a business park which houses 800 employees. We think it will only be a matter of time before our ability to continue to use our office space is curtailed.
NANA has arranged for remote working arrangements to be implemented. When necessary, phones, email, fax, etc will all automatically direct to off site numbers. Whilst there may be some pressure on operations, we expect to continue to be available for Members whenever needed. Our contact details remain the same – 1300 113 044 for phone calls and nana@nana.com.au for email.
I wish I could talk to someone about all of this
NANA is fielding calls from a diverse range of Members – big, small, in between, city, suburban, regional and rural. We understand that uncertainty in itself is a major destabilising influence on your business.
NANA staff are available to discuss any matter with Members. Remember, our contact details remain the same.
Further information
The frequency of communications from NANA may increase as ramifications for Newsagents unfold. We will do our best to remain factual and positive. We will do our best to keep broadcast emails to a minimum with the caveat always being that factual information is important.
If you would like to discuss any of the above with NANA, please call 1300 113 044 or send an email to nana@nana.com.au.
