Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sterle, who is very interested in the topic of tourism and comes from that great state of Western Australia. Yes, the Albanese Labor government is supporting the tourism and travel sector's recovery in a way that the former Liberal-National government never, ever did. We know the vast majority of tourism businesses are small and medium sized. They collectively make a significant contribution to employment and our economy. To support this sector, we are delivering on our commitments, including through our $48 million investment over four years, and we're directly engaging with industry to address the challenges that they face.

In August we held a tourism jobs summit to hear from industry about the challenges they face. We've launched a visitor-economy disability pilot. We're working on a project to better connect workers and employers in the industry. In October I hosted a Tourism Ministers' Meeting in South Australia, with state and territory counterparts, to collaborate on support for the industry, and I look forward to the next meeting, which will include the tourism minister from the re-elected Andrews Labor government. In October we launched the Come and Say G'day campaign to get international tourists back to Australia. Already, Senator Sterle, it's attracted 122 million views, which translated to a 74 per cent increase in traffic on Australia.com.

No, I'm going to come to the Bellarine and Mornington—don't worry, Senator Henderson!—not in this question, though. And last month we launched the Caravan Parks Grant Program to help park operators upgrade their facilities. The Albanese Labor government understands the challenges we have faced in tourism and travel, and we are committed— (Time expired)