**Check against delivery
Good evening ladies and gentlemen.
I'd like to thank the National Tourism Alliance for the opportunity to be here tonight.
Your industry is a vital part of the Australian economy, employing nearly half a million Australians, contributing nearly 4 per cent of GDP and about 10 per cent of our export earnings.
The National Tourism Alliance is the voice of Australian workers in the tourism industry.
That's a challenging role in challenging times.
The Australian tourism industry operates in an increasingly tough and competitive international market.
Pressures from the high value of our dollar, record fuel prices, and aggressive price competition from low-cost carriers in Asia have all made the task of attracting people to Australia that much more difficult.
For many young families, the traditional family holiday no longer exists.
The pressures facing the Australian tourism industry are clearly illustrated by the commercial decision of Qantas to cease flights into Cairns from Japan.
I will talk more about the issues facing north Queensland a little later.
On top of these pressures the crisis in global financial markets has created an uncertainty that is not helpful to tourism.
One thing is certain: we can no longer rest on our laurels and think all we have to do is make the invitation and people will come.
As an industry we need to get the product offering right. We can't assume that what was right 20 years ago is what today's tourists want. We need to ensure that the product we have on offer is fresh and is refreshed to serve today's market needs.
Tourism Australia has the expertise to deliver the marketing and promotion needed to stimulate demand and I am hopeful that the new campaign centring around the movie, Australia, will be successful in reinvigorating demand for the Australian tourism experience.
To address the supply side issues I announced the development of the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy in May this year.
The Strategy is about establishing a basis for the long-term development and sustainability of the Australian tourism industry over the next 20 years.
The Strategy will focus on building the productive capacity - or supply side - of the industry.
It will address issues such as:
- Investment
- Infrastructure
- Labour, skills and productivity
- Climate change
- Quality and innovation.
The Government will establish a policy framework for the future to facilitate outcomes in these areas, but at the end of the day it will be up to the corporate sector to innovate, to develop robust business cases and make commercial decisions with respect to their own businesses.
The Strategy Steering Committee, lead by Margaret Jackson will seek your input to the Strategy.
Many of you will be aware that Jenny Lambert is a member of that Committee.
The Committee has started to consult widely in order to gather together ideas and I encourage you to get involved and make your own contributions.
Which brings me to the reason we are here today, the launch of the NTA's - Tourism in Australia: Future Directions 2009 - 2014.
I congratulate the NTA on the development of this paper.
The work undertaken by the NTA will provide a valuable input into policy development for the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy and I know you will have a strong advocate at the table in Jenny.
Many of the themes covered in the paper align with the themes that have been identified for the development of the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy.
These include:
- Building and retaining a productive tourism workforce
- Delivering quality tourism products and services which meet the needs of a dynamic market
- Encouraging and facilitating the tourism investment and infrastructure the industry needs
While we need to focus on building the platform for the long-term development and sustainability of the tourism industry, we mustn't lose sight of what we need to do now.
The tough times being faced by the tourism industry are illustrated in the recent decision by Qantas to cease flights from Japan into Cairns.
On 11 June I announced a $4 million package for Tropical North Queensland, matched by the Queensland Government.
While the reduction of air services to the region has presented a number of challenges, it has also provided us with the opportunity to think strategically about a strong, sustainable tourism future for Cairns and Tropical North Queensland and I look forward to discussing this with the industry in Cairns in the next couple of weeks.
The aviation industry is, of course, a vital part of the tourism industry.
The Government is currently developing a National Aviation Policy Statement and my Department has made a major submission to the review process.
Adequate and efficient transport infrastructure is critical to the long-term competitiveness, profitability and growth of Australia's tourism industry.
My Department will ensure that tourism interests are at the forefront of infrastructure planning generally.
Infrastructure investment is a problem which has held back many Australian industries, including those covered by my other Ministerial responsibilities - resources and energy.
Infrastructure Australia will provide advice to Australian governments about infrastructure gaps and bottlenecks, and will identify investment priorities, and policy and regulatory reforms to enable timely and coordinated delivery of national infrastructure investment.
Tourism will benefit from improved national infrastructure provided by the Government's $20 billion Building Australia Fund.
In recognising the benefits gained through aligning government funding with state and regional priorities, the Government is currently redesigning the Australian Tourism Development Program (ATDP) to ensure that funding contributes to strategic outcomes for the tourism industry and supports a broad national perspective.
A pressing issue facing the tourism industry is climate change.
Climate Change presents particular challenges for the Australian tourism industry.
The application of carbon costs to long-haul aviation and through changing traveller behaviour in our key inbound markets pose risks to the future viability of the industry.
How should the industry respond to these challenges?
The Framework for Action which was endorsed by Tourism Ministers' Council in July this year sets out some key action areas.
In brief:
- We need to understand the industry's vulnerability and build its capacity to adapt
- We need to ensure the industry is prepared for a carbon-constrained future by communicating and reaching out to all the industry players
- We need to better understand our key markets and frame our marketing accordingly
Work is currently underway on the implementation of this framework.
Central to the Government's broader climate change strategy is the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme or CPRS.
I appreciate the feedback the industry, including NTA, has provided in response to the Government's Green Paper and assure you it will be properly considered as part of the White Paper development over the coming months.
A core objective of this Government is also to see greater skills formation, education and development of our workforce.
That is also a key priority for the tourism sector.
We have established Skills Australia to provide advice on workforce development and future skills needs.
This is in response to the estimated 240,000 shortage of skilled workers in Australia by 2016.
In addition, both the Government and industry needs to do much more to develop the potential of the Indigenous workforce and increase Indigenous workforce participation.
Earlier tonight I was pleased to launch the Hostplus Indigenous Management Traineeship Program, a training program developed by the Australian Hotels Association in cooperation with HostPlus, MINT Group, AFL SportsReady Program and hotels around Australia.
This program will place 100 Indigenous trainees in hotels across Australia and assist them to complete a Certificate III in Hospitality Operations.
This program will help 100 Indigenous Australians develop skills which will provide more than just a job, but options for life - for future economic independence and social well-being.
The National Long-Term Tourism Strategy will bring together the Government's programs in areas as diverse as infrastructure, skills and training, taxation and climate change to create a focussed policy framework for the tourism industry.
The Strategy will provide the vision and the long-term direction for the industry.
For it to succeed, it must be based on solid economic fundamentals and be driven by a strong commitment from the tourism industry.
I commend the NTA for its efforts in developing the Strategic Vision and for the valuable contribution it is making to the policy development process for the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy.
Thank you.