The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, this morning launched Tourism Australia's No Leave No Life campaign to encourage Australians to turn their 123 million days of accrued leave into great Aussie holidays.
The campaign will remind both employers and employees about the importance of taking annual leave and having a break.
Minister Ferguson said: "This campaign is about Australians getting behind the thousands of small businesses and the half a million jobs that are supported by our home-grown tourism industry.
"Next week, the Government's stimulus package will deliver a worker's bonus of $900 to many Australians in time for the Easter holidays.
"In these difficult times I hope all Australians will stop and think what they can do to kick our economy along and help keep the jobs of their fellow Australians - a great Aussie holiday is a great start.
"This is also a campaign about winning the work/life battle for employees and their families, and managing the accrued leave liabilities of employers."
Minister Ferguson said: "As Australians go into work this morning, they have 123 million days of leave worth about $33 billion owing to them.
"Unlocking that $33 billion would boost our economy over the coming year and ease the liability burden of many employers.
Today we are launching a new program to encourage Australians - both employers and employees - to turn their accrued leave into great Australian holidays.
The No Leave No Life campaign will see:
- Tourism Australia work with the business community to inform employers of the impacts of accrued leave. The program provides tools to create a positive workplace culture of leave-taking with training modules, business cases, creative ideas to encourage leave-taking and promotional materials for the workplace such as posters, computer screensavers, and out-of-office and handover templates to motivate and assist employees.
- The website, www.noleavenolife.com, assist Australian employees win the work/life battle and give them the chance to win an Aussie holiday every week for eight weeks. The site also offers great holiday deals as well as tips to make planning a memorable Australian holiday easier.
Minister Ferguson said: "By encouraging staff to use their accrued leave, employers are sensibly managing their liabilities and creating a more productive, happier and healthier workplace.
"I encourage employers to get behind the program and demonstrate to staff their support for a good work/life balance and the taking of accrued leave.
"I want to encourage all Australians to think about the places in Australia they haven't seen yet, or the places they want to visit again, and then look at using some of their accrued leave to make that trip."
"By using their leave to take a holiday at home, Australians are helping their mates who depend on tourism for their livelihoods and achieving a better balance between their work and personal lives."