**Check against delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen, it's a pleasure to be here in Broome to launch the Kimberley National Landscape with my colleague and friend, the Minister for Environment Protection, Peter Garrett.
I would like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of this land, the Miriuwung people.
Today we are celebrating the Kimberley joining with nine other iconic destinations - including Australia's Red Centre, Kakadu and the Australian Alps - in the coveted Australian Government National Landscapes Program.
And we are acknowledging the efforts of the local community who, through the Kimberley National Landscape Steering Committee, have worked with Tourism Australia and Parks Australia to bring the Kimberley into the National Landscapes Program.
Parks Australia and Tourism Australia have invested over $2.5 million in support of Australia's National Landscapes - for branding, marketing initiatives and stakeholder workshops.
Being part of the Program means the Kimberley will feature prominently in Australia's future international tourism marketing.
Nearly two thirds of international visitors identify an Australian nature experience as a highlight of their visit.
The Australian Government and Tourism Australia will market the National Landscapes via Tourism Australia's new $150 million "There's Nothing Like Australia" campaign.
From 15 April, Australians have the opportunity to participate in the campaign by uploading online stories and images of their favourite places.
I expect we will see many entries about the Kimberley.
And domestic marketing is just as important.
Australians have accumulated more than 123 million days in leave worth $33 billion in wages.
So the Australian Government and Tourism Australia's "No Leave No Life" campaign is also encouraging Australians to cash in their leave, have a holiday at home and discover the richness of our National Landscapes - driving, hiking, cruising, climbing or flying through some of our most beautiful and awe-inspiring natural wonders.
The National Landscapes Program is not just about marketing.
It is about helping regional tourism operators and local governments develop quality tourism products, infrastructure and services that capitalise on the unique natural and cultural values of the National Landscape.
With the support of Tourism Australia and Parks Australia, the Kimberley National Landscape Steering Committee will now bring together tourism industry and government stakeholders to identify commercial opportunities, environmental management priorities, infrastructure gaps, skills and labour force gaps, and marketing plans.
Around Australia, National Landscapes have attracted almost $8 million from the Jobs Fund, including $765,000 here in the Kimberley's Purnululu National Park, for projects such as upgrading walking tracks and roads, interpretive signage and heritage maintenance.
The Kimberley is a part of Australia which is known for its rugged gorges, magnificent waterfalls, spectacular coastline, remote beaches and rich Indigenous history and culture.
It also has a rich history of Eurasian exploration and pioneering, pearling and mining.
This is an important tourism region for Australia, attracting more than 744,000 visitors a year who spend more than $583 million.
And tourism will continue to grow in importance, not only through initiatives such as National Landscapes, but through increased business travel, for example in the resources sector.
The growth of business travel to the Kimberley and the diversification of the economy will benefit tourism through better air access and higher visitor numbers.
Tourism is already a major source of employment across the Kimberley with more than 1500 tourism-related businesses generating hundreds of jobs on the ground - for rangers, pilots, cruise ship crews, chefs, cleaners and many other trades and professions.
In particular, tourism and the National Landscapes Program offer great opportunities for Indigenous training, employment and business development, including through the work of the Kimberley Land Council to engage and train Indigenous Rangers to work in National Parks managing both tourism and conservation.
Through the Australian Government's Working on Country Program, facilitated by the Kimberley Land Council, 65 Indigenous Ranger jobs at eight communities across the Kimberley have been supported.
Those jobs are building on the synergies between tourism and the protection and promotion of both the natural environment and Indigenous culture and heritage.
Visitors to the region are looking for an experience that respects Indigenous culture and country - and the unique natural environment.
Having Rangers on country not only creates valuable jobs for people in remote areas, it generates opportunities for the transmission of cultural knowledge from elders to younger people.
Through these experiences, Rangers are building the skills to interpret Indigenous culture and resource management practices for a non-Indigenous audience.
In the longer term this combination of cultural knowledge and cross-cultural skills will create important opportunities for the establishment of sustainable Indigenous tourism enterprises.
In closing, I congratulate Parks Australia, Tourism Australia, the Kimberley National Landscape Steering Committee, chaired by Marilynne Paspaley, as well as the many tourism operators and conservation groups who put in the hard work necessary to get the Kimberley ready for inclusion in the National Landscapes Program.
And I thank Tourism Western Australia for their supporting role in bringing the first Western Australian destination into the National Landscapes Program.
The success of the Program will depend on your continuing commitment to work together to advance both tourism and environment protection in the Kimberley.
I welcome the Kimberley as the 10th National Landscape and wish you every success with the future development of this iconic destination.