Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Farrell for his question. The Australian government's tourism and aviation package, a $1.2 billion package, combined with our vaccine rollout, which is underway, is part of the government's national economic recovery plan. What that means for the tourism sector is that, in many ways, the recovery will be driven by Australians holidaying at home until we are able to re-engage with the international tourism sector.

It does, I acknowledge, Senator Farrell, continue to be a challenging time for our travel and tourism sector. So, in addition to the record levels of economic support that we have provided during COVID-19, including JobKeeper and small business cash payments of up to $100,000, which have sustained literally hundreds of thousands of tourism businesses and jobs across Australia, the tourism and aviation package provides further targeted assistance to help the tourism sector rebound and save as many jobs as possible. What we will see with Australia's airlines, hotels, caravan parks, restaurants, bars, travel agents and tourism operators is a push from Australian domestic tourists as part of that new support package. That mix of half-price airline tickets, cheaper loans for business and direct support to keep planes in the air and airline workers in their jobs is a bridge back to a normal way of life for Australians.

The centrepiece of the program is a demand-driven program of 800,000 half-price airfares to get Australians travelling to support tourism operators, businesses, travel agents and airlines, who continue to do it tough through COVID-19 while our international borders remain closed. It means taking more tourists to our hotels and cafes— (Time expired)