Published on : Monday, July 18, 2016
The Tourism & Transport Forum Australia (TTF) has congratulated Prime Minister Turnbull and his Cabinet and is looking forward to the opportunity over the coming term of the new parliament to work together to build a stronger national visitor economy backed by more investment in transport.
“Prime Minister Turnbull has won re-election for the Coalition on a positive platform of an economic plan to seize the opportunities on the horizon for Australia for which they should be heartily congratulated,” said Margy Osmond, TTF CEO.
“Congratulations to Steven Ciobo on his appointment as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. He has been a great advocate for the industry and we look forward to continuing working with him.
“TTF has been a strong advocate of the need to elevate the tourism portfolio in the national economic debate. It’s a fantastic outcome to see the tourism sector recognized in Minister Ciobo’s Cabinet title and is proof of this governments understanding of the industry’s importance to the success of Australia’s future economy.
“We congratulate and warmly welcome Keith Pitt on his appointment as Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. We look forward to developing a close and positive relationship to support the industry and allow it to reach its full economic potential for Australia.”
“We look forward to working with the new Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan on the important issue of resolving the backpacker tax and its impact on sectors critical to the success of Northern Australia.
“Congratulations to Darren Chester on being re-appointed Minister for Infrastructure & Transport and Paul Fletcher in the renewed Urban Infrastructure portfolio. These are critical portfolios for the tourism and transport industries and we look forward to continuing our positive dialogue with these Ministers.”
Ms Osmond said the industry was grateful to outgoing Tourism Minister Richard Colbeck for his hard work and support for the sector.
“During the Federal Election campaign TTF put on the table a comprehensive platform to help turbo-charge the tourism and transport industries as the national economy continues the transition from the end of the mining boom to a diversified services-based economy.”
TTF’s seven point tourism and transport plan calls for the following actions from the Government:
1. Reduce the Passenger Movement Charge into a genuine cost-recovery measure for passenger facilitation at Australia’s international gateways;
2. Slash visitor visa costs and application processing times to make them globally competitive;
3. Increase investment in Tourism Australia and its destination marketing campaigns to attract more high-yield international visitors;
4. Support industry in securing its future workforce and address skills challenges;
5. Develop the visitor economy infrastructure needed to support more visitors to our cities and regional and rural tourism destinations;
6. Promote investment in major public transport projects that will reduce congestion and improve liveability in our cities; and
7. Improve the visitor experience at the border through better focused customer service and adoption of new frontline technology.
“The TTF seven point plan is a common sense approach for the Government to slash fees and charges which add to the cost of travelling to Australia; supports industry to secure its workforce for the future; builds the visitor infrastructure and public transport that improves the experience of visiting our cities and regions; and recognises the importance of a warmer welcome and departure experience at our international gateways.
“We look forward to working with the re-elected Turnbull Coalition Government and all members of the parliament to ensure that the Government’s plan recognises a prominent role for the visitor economy as a key super-growth industry for the creation of the jobs and economic wealth that will sustain our nation into the future.”
Source:-TTF
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