Tourism peak bodies welcome incoming Federal Government

Peak bodies representing Australian tourism have welcomed the new Federal Government after Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s swearing in as the nation’s 31st Prime Minister this morning.

Following a series of industry announcements during the Federal Election campaign, the Labor party last week committed $48 million to help rebuild the tourism industry, including a $10 million injection in training and skills development for hospitality and accommodation.

While four senior ministerial portfolios were announced today other positions are expected to be announced on 30th May. Among these, it is likely that former Minister for Sport and Tourism, Senator Don Farrell, who has held the role in the shadow cabinet, will return to his former ministerial position.

The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has been working closely with Senator Farrell, who is a long-standing and vocal champion of Australia’s travel agents.

According to AFTA Chief Executive Dean Long, Senator Farrell has consistently worked behind the scenes and been vocal on the floor of Parliament to push the need for ongoing support.

In a recent webinar, Senator Farrell met with AFTA members and highlighted his focus on listening to the industry to find out how to best aid its recovery.

Long explained “importantly, AFTA will continue our bipartisan approach as we need to make sure that all key decision-makers in our parliaments, federal, state and territory understand the challenges and the opportunities to support

“Travel and tourism is a massive economic driver for the Australian economy and Australia’s travel businesses are key economic contributors within communities in every part of Australia.

“Given the economic challenges facing us at a national, sector and community level, the involvement of the private sector in scoping and shaping the solution is more important than ever before.”

In April, Senator Farrell told AFTA members he made the decision early on that Labor wouldn’t “score political points” from an industry that was hurting as badly as travel.

Senator Farrell stated “where possible we have done the best we could to support the government in practical decisions and pushing them to make those decisions as early as they could.

“What I have done in the last 18 months or so is listen to the industry to get a sense of the things that will really help in the recovery.

“We will continue talking to you. We know what the issues are and we intend to bring forward policies to deal with that as we recover.

“We are well aware of the struggles the travel sector has gone through and AFTA has been very active in this regard. I’m very honoured to be able to speak to you today.

Peter Shelley, Managing Director of the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC), also welcomed the incoming administration, saying that additional funding will be crucial in supporting the industry to reconnect with international markets and rebuild their workforce.

The cruise industry, through Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), has also welcomed the new government, while also acknowledging the previous Government’s role in supporting the tourism economy and responding to recent challenges.

Images: Anthony Albanese is sworn in as Australia’s 31st Prime Minister by Governor-General David John Hurley this morning.(top, credit: Facebook/AlboMP) and shadow Minister for Tourism and Sport Senator Don Farrell flanked by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and new Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong (below, credit: Facebook/SenatorDonFarrell).