Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am sure my colleague opposite is going to want to mention something about the Asian market, so I needed to put in perspective what impact the European crisis would have on the Asian market. Those opposite thought we should not have a view on that at all.

But I will get back to the bill. In the Passenger Movement Charge Amendment Bill we are very much focused on two things. Firstly, the Asian market, which I will come back to, and, secondly, the development of regional tourism. We know there are issues about tourism in this country. Australia is not a country you pass through to go and see something; Australia is a point of destination. And if you come from the Northern Hemisphere, it is a long, long way away. We are trying to attract as many tourists as we can from there, but we know that the emerging tourism markets for us are clearly in the Asian region, particularly out of China and, more recently, out of India.

As a consequence, with the passage of this legislation $48.5 million will be provided to a new fund to support tourism industry development projects in regional Australia. That is something that we do want to showcase. We do want to attract people particularly into regional Australia. That is an area of tourism that has been dealt a heavy blow, particularly with the impact of the higher dollar. We do want to drive investment and job creation in those areas and we do want to be able to deliver certainty. We have a track record for doing that and we will continue to do it, and that $48.5 million will be earmarked to do precisely that. It will give people the opportunity to plan, to develop and to market the elements of regional tourism in this country.

Ten per cent of the increased passenger movement charge will go to the Asia Marketing Fund which will be responsible for promoting Australia's image as an attractive holiday destination and business destination for a number of the lucrative markets in Asia. This contribution is in addition to the $61 million the government has already committed towards the development of the Asia Marketing Fund in this year's budget. We are strongly committed to raising our profile in that region and becoming one of the primary destinations for tourists, particularly throughout the Asian region itself. Australia's tourism industry has already greatly benefitted from the emergence of China, which is now one of the world's strongest economies. If you listen to the economic forecast for the next decade, it will take over from the United States as being the world's strongest economy. It has also got the world's fastest growing middle class. As a consequence of that we are attracting, as quickly as possible, marketing opportunities in China, currently worth $3.5 billion. It is the third largest market of inbound visitors to this country, with 542,000 arrivals from China alone in 2011. (Time expired)

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