Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, is travelling to the United States today for the annual
G’Day USA event and a series of meetings with key policy makers and industry representatives to promote Australia as a premium investment and tourism destination.
“Australia’s economic prosperity is closely tied to ongoing foreign investment, particularly in the resources, energy and tourism sectors with the USA being one of our most important markets,” Minister Ferguson said.
“US investment is behind many of Australia’s largest resource projects, such as the Gorgon, Darwin and Wheatstone LNG projects, not to mention the coal mining operations of companies such as Peabody on the east coast.
“These projects bring billions to the Australian economy and create thousands of Australian jobs.
“And the tourism industry employs directly and indirectly close to a million people. North America has always been an important traditional market for Australia’s tourism industry.
“While there have been recent declines in visitor arrivals from the USA, due primarily to economic factors, it remains a market that we need to focus on developing from a tourism perspective.”
G’Day USA promotes Australia as an innovative, high‑growth, sophisticated economy with leading‑edge research and technology in products, goods and services. The event highlights Australia’s economic stability, and that it continues to be a good place to do business and invest. G’Day USA also showcases Australia’s cultural and natural assets and our unique tourism opportunities.
“Australia is an attractive investment destination as one of the stronger performing economies and our wealth of natural resources offers enormous opportunities for future growth,” Minister Ferguson said.
“Australia is one of the best performing of the advanced economics, being one of only four OECD members to avoid recession following the global financial crisis and over the past year has continued to grow steadily.”
The Minister’s program includes a number of annual G’Day USA-Australia Week events and meetings with senior industry representatives and counterparts in Los Angeles, Washington DC and Houston, as well as clean and renewable energy industry site visits in Mississippi and New Mexico.
Minister Ferguson’s itinerary includes:
- Roundtable meeting Venture Capitalists, Los Angeles;
- G'Day USA Gala dinner, Los Angeles;
- Industry roundtable discussions on tourism and renewable energy, and meetings with airline representatives, in Los Angeles and Washington DC;
- Meetings with the US Secretary of Energy and other senior US Government officials, Washington DC;
- Delivering a keynote speech and participating on a discussion panel at the G’Day USA Energy Conference, Houston;
- Visits to world-leading carbon capture and storage and biofuel facilities.