Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak in the parliament again. First of all I want to congratulate the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources on the fine job he is doing. I have a particular interest in the portfolio in its tourism capacity and its scope, and I am certainly interested to hear from the parliamentary secretary some comments on how the government is furthering opportunities for international tourists to come to Australia.

The tourism industry is, of course, of immense significance to our economy. It is worth some $75 billion. It is responsible for more than half a million jobs—indeed, 550,000 Australian jobs are in the Australia tourism industry. It is a tremendous earner for our economy. We can all be very proud of the unemployment figure of 4.9 per cent that was announced recently. No doubt many of the new jobs that were created in recent times to contribute to this very historic, three-decade low figure will be attributed to the tourism sector. Members of the Howard government can be very proud of this. It is a sign of confidence in the national economy. It is a sign of confidence in the Howard government. Many Australians will be affected by the stability and the strength of the tourism sector in our economy.

I want to ask the parliamentary secretary, in terms of his portfolio responsibilities, about the Howard government’s contribution to promoting the tourism sector and the initiatives in the budget that promote that. The funding of several million dollars, in particular, to strengthening our relationship with China and promoting our country to Chinese tourists is enormously welcomed. If anything, it is on the low side because China is a country with enormous growth rates. We know that it is a country with a growing middle class of some 400 million people. We have a very strong relationship with China. We are, of course, benefiting from our exports of iron ore and coal to China.

I am particularly keen to hear what the parliamentary secretary might have to say to the people of Australia and, indeed, of the Ryan electorate, which I very proudly represent in this parliament. I know that many of my constituents will be very proud of the 4.9 per cent unemployment figure that was recently announced. Indeed, we can go lower, of course. Many of them will be associated with the tourism industry. Many young Australians living in the Ryan electorate will be working in the hospitality sector—in the hotel industry and in restaurants and clubs throughout the Ryan electorate.

Many international visitors to Brisbane do indeed come to the Ryan electorate. We have an outstanding tourist facility in the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I have had the opportunity of taking many family friends who have come to visit Australia to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It is a very successful tourist attraction. I am very interested to hear from the parliamentary secretary how the Australian government can encourage more Asian visitors to our country, because we need them to spend their dollars. So, of the parliamentary secretary, I inquire about the Howard government’s initiatives in the budget handed down by the Treasurer last month.

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