Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Resources and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

Direct support for Tourism Australia stands steady. Let us go to the question of the tourism industry and how this government approaches it. Firstly, we turned it into a cabinet portfolio because we regard it as a key part of the Australian economy, something the previous government failed to do—and I know what you thought about your junior minister at the time, but I will not go there.

In terms of the tourism portfolio, it is about time the industry and the shadow minister started to think about a whole-of-government approach. When it comes to the tourism industry, you also have to look at transport infrastructure. I just met with six councils from the Ocean Road area this morning. I was shadow minister for transport at the last election, and the most significant contribution they got to the further development of the tourism industry in that area previously was the Geelong Road bypass. We decided to put more in than expected to finish it and to enable the industry to go forward and further develop it, because it was a key hindrance to the development of the tourism industry in that area.

Perhaps more importantly, in terms of the supply-side issues, have a look at the funding given to local councils by our government budget by budget through the department of local government and go through the list of projects and see how much of that money is actually being spent on tourism related projects. There are very, very significant amounts of money across the length and breadth of Australia. When it comes to supply-side issues, unfortunately, the member for Moncrieff is still stuck in the past. He thinks the key to future growth of the tourism industry in Australia is to spend more money on marketing. It is not; it is about attending to a long-term tourism strategy going to supply-side issues, including consideration of the skilling of the industry. How can the industry compete when a trades assistant employed at Gorgon receives $150,000 per year and a chef in the city receives about $82,000 per year? What is the importance of migration? What is the importance of aviation access? How do we get some of these airports to improve their infrastructure?

They are the types of issues that will determine where we go in the tourism sector in Australia—that is, not whether or not we bring forward $9 million out of the Tourism Australia marketing campaign for a short-term opportunity with industry but having a long-term tourism strategy which puts tourism front and centre of the Australian economy. It was never thought about as part of the Australian economy. It was just a leisure opportunity for coalition ministers to travel the country, freewheeling and putting their feet under the table at every up-market restaurant they could at taxpayers’ expense. The world has changed. We treat tourism as a serious part of the economy, not a holiday opportunity, as the coalition did for far too long.

Proposed expenditure agreed to.

Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Portfolio

Proposed expenditure, $2,248,036,000

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