Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Would the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government's JobKeeper program is helping to protect Australia's tourism sector from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank the member for Moncrieff for her question and can I commend her on the forum that she held on the Gold Coast, the Reimagine Gold Coast forum. I know that the local Gold Coast tourism sector played a big part in that forum. Her passion for tourism and for her local electorate was to the fore with that Reimagine Gold Coast forum. I know there are many Victorians who are waiting with bated breath to be able to go up and visit the Gold Coast, as I've no doubt there are many Australians who are making sure that they can go and visit the Gold Coast.

Tourism is incredibly important to Australia. In 2019, the tourism industry was worth $152 billion. One in 13 Australian jobs depends on tourism. Ninety-five per cent of tourism businesses are small businesses. In 2019, Australia had met and surpassed the tourism visitation and spend targets under our 10-year Tourism 2020 strategy—a year early. All that, of course, was before COVID-19 struck.

Importantly, our tourism sector is very strong domestically, with 70 per cent of our tourism industry driven by domestic visitation. We are there to support the tourism industry—as I know all Australians are—by making sure that they continue to use tourism as a way to take a holiday, go to events and do other things which will help all the small businesses in the tourism sector. But the government has also provided additional support through JobKeeper, cash flow payments, apprenticeship and trainee support, and assistance for financially distressed businesses. These are in addition to Tourism Australia's record—and growing—budget, which will be used to directly support the domestic tourism industry, through marketing campaigns, when it is safe to do so, especially internationally.

We have also established a $1 billion COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund to support regions, communities and industry sectors that have been disproportionately affected, including the tourism sector. I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for his stewardship of that fund to make sure that we have been able to provide assistance, like $100 million in regional airlines funding assistance, $198 million in regional air network assistance, $94.6 million to support exhibiting zoos and aquariums, and $27 million for arts related organisations, key drivers of tourism.

The government wants to make sure that we are there to support the tourism sector. We know that it's driven mainly by the small business sector and we know it's so important for jobs, with one in 13 jobs in Australia dependent on the tourism industry.