Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Payne. Last week, after months of anxiety for the tourism sector, the government finally released their package for the tourism industry when JobKeeper ends. Why did the Morrison government announce a package that the Australian Tourism Industry Council has said 'will fail to stem major job losses and closures now occurring among many small, family run and larger tourism businesses'?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to 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)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Farrell, a supplementary question?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In response to the only demand-driving element of the proposal, the chair of the Tourism Restart Taskforce, Dr Jeremy Johnson AM, has said:

The discount airfares will do nothing for tour operators, travel agents and wholesalers …

Is Dr Johnson correct?

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

I'm not familiar with Dr Johnson, but what I do know is that the tourism package itself will take more tourists to our hotels and our cafes while taking tours and basically exploring their own backyards. That will mean more jobs and opportunities for investment for the tourism and aviation sectors.

It is important for local communities, especially in regional Australia, that we will continue to financially support flights which are so key to health services, employment opportunities and social activities. The half-price ticket program will initially operate in 13 key regions which include the Gold Coast, Cairns and Townsville, the Whitsundays and Mackay region, both Proserpine Island and Hamilton Island, the Sunshine Coast, Darwin, Lasseter and Alice Springs, Launceston, Hobart, Devonport and Burnie, Broome, Avalon, Merimbula, Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. In this chamber in recent weeks and months, I have responded to questions on these issues, particularly around Tasmania and around Queensland, and I note that— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Farrell, a final supplementary question?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you can, please make sure that the minister keeps within her time, Mr President. I do have a further supplementary question. The Accommodation Association of Australia has stated: 'The lack of support in this package will result in a loss of jobs and slow our recovery once borders are open.' Why has the government abandoned 300,000 Australian workers?

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

I absolutely reject the premise of Senator Farrell's question. There are a number of other new measures in the support package which I hadn't previously had an opportunity to speak to, including the expansion of the SME loan guarantee scheme, as part of our commitment to support up to $40 billion in lending to small and medium enterprises—precisely the sorts of businesses that Senator Farrell was referring to, I presume. Under the existing scheme, over 35,000 loans, worth more than $3 billion, have already been provided. These are helping thousands of businesses get to the other side of this pandemic. What the SME Recovery Loan Scheme will benefit from is an increased government guarantee. This will increase from the current 50-50 split between the governments and the banks to an 80-20 split.

We also see support provided through the new international aviation support helping Australia's international passenger airlines to maintain more than 8,000 core international aviation jobs, support for regular passenger airports to meet their domestic security screening costs— (Time expired)