Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

To question the coalition's commitment to our tourism sector displays a cynicism that is unworthy of even the most partisan political hack. I'm sorry to interrupt the love-in between the opposition and the Greens that I've just been watching, but I'm reminded of a quote attributed to Leonardo da Vinci:

There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see.

Because the Labor Party fall into the category of those who do not see, I'll indulge them with some truths. The coalition's tourism assistance package alone is worth $1.2 billion, spread across subsidised flights for tourists, expanding our offer of guaranteed loans for businesses on top of the already $3 billion in loans that have been processed. We've allocated cash payments to travel agents, cash for zoos to keep feeding animals and subsidies for regional airport security costs, but what I've outlined only just scratches the surface of the coalition's commitment to one of our biggest industries. We've also brought in tax breaks for businesses, which have been most welcomed, and spent millions on domestic tourism advertising campaigns urging Aussies to holiday at home.

There is an extraordinary thing about this, though. I sat on the inquiry into the impact of COVID on aviation, and I watched the TWU, in unison with airlines, call for exactly this sort of package—$1.2 billion spent on 800,000 seats, to allow Australians to fly into the communities that have been the most heavily impacted by international tourism cuts. I sat in those hearings and heard union after union explain that what they wanted was for their employees to be connected to their real jobs. They wanted training and currency so that they remained able to operate a safe airline industry. We have delivered on that. The government has delivered on 800,000 flights—people with their bottoms on seats, flying around the country—allowing baggage handlers to work, allowing caterers to work, allowing pilots and aircrew to work. They will not just be tied to businesses through JobKeeper but will actually have their jobs operating. This will restore confidence in the tourism industry, because, thanks to the Labor governments in Queensland, Victoria and other places shutting the borders at a moment's notice, there is now no confidence among Australians to book flights, because they're worried they'll be trapped somewhere a long way from home and will have to do two weeks of quarantine. It is extraordinary to me that, having delivered on exactly what it is that industry and the unions, in partnership, spent days talking about in this inquiry, now, when it's actually delivered—no, no; they've got to take another opportunity to be critical of the government, as we recover from the worst pandemic in human memory.

The other point that I'd add is that, with real people flying on real planes to real destinations, every dollar spent on flights equates to approximately $10 on the ground. That includes accommodation and experiences, things like going out to the reef or going out to Kangaroo Island—where I've never been but I look forward to going one day—or buying an ice cream or a meal in a restaurant. These are all important multipliers that mean that people are back engaged in the sort of world that we want.

I compare our approach to the approach of the Queensland Labor government, which has been engaged in some of the most shameful political grandstanding I've seen. It has used people's genuine health concerns to drive a stake into the once strongly beating heart of Queensland's tourism by unilaterally closing borders, without notice, and, as I said, smashing consumer confidence. Not only that; it has tried to blame the federal coalition when we have given more than $28 billion in support to Queensland alone, while state Labor has barely been able to manage to rustle up $8 billion, primarily because it is broke. Federal Labor would do well to advise its Queensland arm to get its finances in order and start delivering for tourism in Queensland.