Tourism minister talks to Douglas operators on post JobKeeper future
TOURISM
A post-JobKeeper plan, continued border closures, and retaining staff were the big issues raised when federal tourism minister, Dan Tehan, met with local leaders and major tourism operators in Port Douglas on Sunday.
Mr Tehan is in the Far North this week with Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch to meet with representatives of Port Douglas and Cairns tourism businesses to get a better understanding of how state border closures and the loss of international tourists is impacting the region.
Mr Tehan told Newsport they will be speaking to operators right across the tourism industry to see what they are looking for in terms of post-JobKeeper support, as the government funding nears its end.
“There are various suggestions being put forward, a lot of analysis is being undertaken by the Federal Treasury to see what support is necessary and what form it should take,” he said.
“But getting out on the ground and hearing from the sector itself is just so important and Warren (Entsch) was really keen for me to get up here and listen to the day-to-day operators of the tourism business so that I could get a really good sense as to what they need.
“We have made very clear that JobKeeper will end at the end in March, but what we have also said is we are looking at ways to provide the support that is necessary for the sector going forward and that will be the discussions I will be having with my colleagues in coming weeks.”
Mr Tehan said the issue of attracting and retaining staff in the tourism and hospitality industries, which have been suffering a labour shortage due to the decrease in backpackers, was also a big issue raised by concerned businesses.
“It’s clear that this is an issue right around rural Australia.
“How we address this labour shortage issue, I think is one of our big challenges as a nation.”
Mr Tehan said there were a number of ideas to address the issue including how we can get backpackers returning and making sure the right policy settings are in place to enable them to stay here and fill the shortages.
“It’s also getting backpackers from New Zealand, where we do have a travel bubble, and also the Pacific Worker Scheme, and looking at what we can do to make sure the Pacific Workers Scheme helps us attract people to work in the tourism industry.”
Hard border closures were also a big issue on the agenda with Mr Tehan saying the Federal Government is working with the states and territories to adopt a consistent approach to border closures and hotspots that will give certainty to tourist operators and Australians planning their next holiday.
“The data indicates that people still want to go on holidays, but they are more cautious than ever. Border restrictions are now a bigger concern than COVID-19 to Australians who are planning a holiday,” Mr Tehan said.
In positive news, Mr Tehan said along with the upcoming COVID-19 vaccination rollout, the Government’s plan to have proof of vaccination on your smartphone could be a “game-changer” in restarting international travel.
“The roll-out of this certificate nationally, and hopefully with similar international schemes, should help us be able to get international tourism up and operating again.
“In the meantime, getting travel bubbles up and running this year is the first priority and then hopefully we will be able to see COVID-19 safe resumption of international tourism across the board come this time next year.”
Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree CEO, Tara Bennett, said the Minister’s visit put a spotlight on Port Douglas and Cairns.
“We hope that it will result in a raft of initiatives to support our industry’s survival in the short term and a strong recovery in the medium to long term,” she said.
“We are looking for regional support packages for areas that have been most affected in the downturn of international visitation.
“Isolated areas such as Port Douglas haven’t benefited from the strong drive market that regions close to capital cities have seen and we hope to see this recognised.
Douglas Shire Mayor Micheal Kerr said the meeting had passed on a clear picture to the Minister about what assistance the Shire needs.
“It was a great opportunity to have the minister in the Shire giving some local businesses the chance to speak directly about the issues we have faced and the scenario ahead of us,” he said.
“It has been an extremely hard time for businesses, not having tourists over lockdowns, to now suffering a mixture of no international tourists, domestic tourists fearing travel due to inconsistent border closures and then a lack of staff when we are busy.”