Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Tourism. Minister, how will the Rudd government’s $1 billion of new tourism taxes affect the job security of 483,000 Australians who work in our tourism industry?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question on the tourism industry. I say that because the tourism industry is exceptionally important to the Australian community, especially in the context of jobs in regional and rural Australia. One of the issues the tourism industry is raising is their serious concern about the impact of inflation on their local businesses and the need for the Australian government to get the economic fundamentals right. In that context they are vitally concerned and they seriously welcomed the reduction in interest rates this week, which has made it a little bit easier for them to conduct their businesses in a very tough global environment.

I say that because the tourism industry in Australia is finding it a little bit tough at the moment because of the serious economic concerns throughout the global economic community. On top of those serious economic concerns, they have also had to handle the impact of a very strong dollar, which has undermined our historical inflow of tourists from such significant markets as Japan. This industry has also had to handle the impact of a serious oil crisis, which has made it more difficult for tourists to come to Australia and to travel in Australia. So I simply say that the Australian government—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. The question was about the $1 billion in taxes imposed on the tourism industry, and he has not mentioned the $1 billion.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member will resume her seat. There is no point of order.

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

I can assure the House that we will continue to work closely with the tourism industry. We will also continue to work to overcome the neglect that this industry has had to put up with—the failure of the previous government—on such fundamental issues as a shortage of labour and a failure to train Australians to perform very valuable work in the tourism industry, which is so important to Australia’s economic performance. I might also say that they have raised with me their serious concerns about the failures of the previous government with respect to key infrastructure issues, such as improvements in railways and the performance of airports—in association with the requirements of the Australian community—to actually save to invest in improving those key economic activities for the future in terms of investing in skills and infrastructure development.

I am pleased to say that I have a good working relationship with the tourism industry. They continue to bring their concerns to me, because they are also about making sure that, unlike the previous government’s international tourism advertising campaign called ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: I am loath to interrupt, but the minister has now been speaking for about 2½ minutes and he has not yet mentioned the billion dollars, and before—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will resume her seat! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will leave the chamber for one hour.

The member for Curtin then left the chamber.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, under the general standing orders, I wish to protest against that action.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It will assist your cause if you get my right title—but that’s okay.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Families, Community Services, Indigenous Affairs and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sorry, it has been a long and tiring afternoon, and we have been rather bored by the proceedings. Mr Speaker, you have quite properly over the last couple of weeks talked about the circumstances of the House and how rulings are influenced by the circumstances of the House. Given the circumstances of the House today, I put it to you that to exclude the Deputy Leader of the Opposition is a harsh measure. I would respectfully ask you to reconsider.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Warringah will resume his seat. It is true that I have emphasised the circumstances of the chamber. I warned the Deputy Leader of the Opposition earlier in the piece. On the basis of the circumstances of proceedings that have followed that, I have ignored a number of times things that have happened. On the basis that I had asked her to resume her seat and on the basis of previous matters that I had taken into consideration, I thought that it was a fair cop. To get back to the point of order that the Deputy Leader of the Opposition was making before I sent her on her way, in her points of order the Deputy Leader of the Opposition has only been emphasising one point of the question. The minister has been relevant to the question, as set by the precedents of this place.

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

We will also work with industry to get Tourism Australia’s performance right. I recently read with concern a report by the Australian National Audit Office about the lack of attention paid by the previous government to corporate governance issues concerning the operation of Tourism Australia. I understand the need to actually make sure that I get the tourism industry right. The Leader of the Opposition is concerned about tourism because the member for Wentworth is just about to send him on a long, long holiday.