Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the Northern Australians working within the tourism industry, which plays a vital role in supporting the Northern Australian economy;

(2) recognises that tourist spending provides further opportunities for local small businesses within the community; and

(3) notes that:

(a) the Government is investing in small businesses through its Jobs and Small Business Package released in the 2015 budget; and

(b) this package provides small businesses, including most businesses within the tourism industry, with much needed assistance to grow and create jobs.

The Top End of the Northern Territory is pretty much paradise. And, as I have said many times in this place, the Northern Territory is the true capital of north Australia. My electorate of Solomon, including the cities of Darwin and Palmerston, is a friendly, vibrant, multicultural, cosmopolitan place to live. The harbour, seas and rivers that surround us have some of the best sports fishing anywhere in the world. We have weekend markets with the world's best coffees and laksas. Most locals will go down to Parap markets and see Mary for a laksa. We have stunning national parks just down the road. We have a rich cultural history. We have the world's best weather, at least for most of the year. So it is no surprise that so many people want to visit. Alongside primary production and resources, tourism is one of the cornerstones of the Northern Territory economy. In the last year, the Northern Territory clocked 4.4 million visitor nights, and those visitors spent $1.85 billion, contributing 8.1 per cent to the territory's economy.

I put this motion to the House today to recognise the contribution that tourism operators contribute to the Northern Territory, and to northern Australia's economy. To the hoteliers, restaurateurs, tour operators, charter operators, to the bartenders and waiters, the bus drivers and rangers, and everyone else involved in tourism, to the 11.5 per cent of the Northern Territorians who are involved in the tourism sector, we owe a debt of thanks. The work you do pays off in two ways. Your sector of tourism, perhaps more than any other, has invaluable trickle-down contributions to the economy. Businesses like barra fishing safaris need to get their boats serviced and maintained—another popular service organisation is In & Outboard Marine. Our restaurants, like the award-winning Salt n Peppa, will only serve the best local barramundi and seafood. Because hoteliers need staff to prepare meals and greet guests they employ people, who in turn spend their wages in the Northern Territory, which further contributes to our economy. Money spent in tourism quickly makes its way down into the economy, keeping cashflow into the businesses and keeping Territorians in jobs.

The other major contributing factor is that every single satisfied customer you create—every single person who is awestruck by the sunset at Mindil Beach markets or the beauty and tranquillity of Yellow Water or the spectacular Litchfield National Park or Kakadu—goes back to where they came from down south and becomes a salesman for north Australia. It is wonderful that we have here the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment, who is very interested in Kakadu and Litchfield. He is going to have some announcements about that in the coming weeks. These people who become salesmen for north Australia then tell their friends what an amazing experience they had in the Top End. They will mention to their colleagues at work how much fun their kids had feeding the fish at Aquascene, or taking a tour with a traditional owner through Kakadu. They will post photographs on their social media of the prize fish they caught on a charter with, say, Darwin Reef 'n Wrecks. Who knows? They may even find the million-dollar barra, which the parliamentary secretary is also wanting to find—a million-dollar barra is swimming through our Top End waters.

Because of the hard work, the professionalism, the innovation and the commitment to creating a good product of everybody involved in the sector every single tourist who visits the Northern Territory or north Australia leaves us as an ambassador. The coalition government is helping this sector. Small business operators in tourism are benefiting from the lowest company tax rate in nearly 50 years, thanks to this year's budget through its Jobs and Small Business package. Tens of thousands of pages of red tape have been abolished or simplified. This means tourism operators can spend more time with their clients and less time filling out forms.

I am proud to be part of the coalition government which supports the tourism sector and supports small business in north Australia. Special thanks go to Tourism NT and Tourism Top End for the great work that they do in advocating for tourism across the Northern Territory. I would also like to plug the new campaign—#DoTheNT.

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