Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

spoke about going back to Work Choices. He wants to cut wages. That is his answer to the tourism industry. This is Liberal policy: to sort out the price of the dollar, the answer is to cut wages and conditions in the tourism sector—or continue to bring people into Australia so they can pay them less instead of providing training. This government is training people in the tourism sector. We want to give any Australian who wants to work in tourism the chance to get a start, get some training, work and have the opportunity of a career in that industry. That is what we should be doing, and that is what this government is doing, something that was totally neglected by the last coalition government.

We need to think about what tourism brings to this country. I understand the value of the industry is about $42 billion per year. This government is giving great support to the industry, and the Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson, has come to the electorate of Lyons on many occasions. He is a very great minister. He understands local tourism, not just the big end of the industry, and that it is something you need to build up. The honourable member for Durack should take note of that. I am pleased to hear that in his electorate they are back at it; congratulations to them. I am glad they got through their flooding—

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