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

I know that the opposition does not regard tourism as an important industry. This is a major coup and I am pleased to say that, despite the global financial crisis, the North American market has proved to be very resilient for Australia. We saw 5.1 per cent growth for the period to 2009. Also, because it is related to tourism, the Shanghai world expo has been a great opportunity for Australia, with over seven million visitors to our expo site to date.

With the approach of Christmas, I remind the House that the tourism industry is doing it tough. Australia continues to have 117 million days of accumulated annual leave at this point, worth $33 billion. I ask all Australian employers to give serious support to encouraging their workforce to have a holiday in Australia and, by doing so, to keep their mates employed.

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