Perth
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Today's launch goes to the heart of what the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy is all about.
Without jobs, we have no tourism industry.
And without skills, we have no jobs.
Tourism GDP last financial year was $33.9 billion.
And for an industry of this size to have an impact on Australia's prosperity, we need people with the right skills.
I applaud the National Tourism Alliance for taking the initiative with this project.
The 40,000 or so businesses represented by the Alliance are keenly aware of the need for industry-specific skills.
Labour and skills gaps hinder business growth, especially in the states where resources companies can afford to pay a premium for their staff.
The Australian Government shares your concern.
The Discover Tourism careers portal is one way we can address the difficulties we see in our labour market.
It is an entry point for information on careers in the industry - matching the willing with the able.
The portal is a one-stop-shop for career pathways, training opportunities, lifestyle guides, real-life insights, job profiles and qualifications across the many sectors of the industry.
The portal describes the different kinds of jobs available, and where they are.
The site also matches employers with employees by linking people with the Discover Jobs site, which has been designed specifically for jobs in tourism and hospitality.
And just like the industry itself, the portal will be constantly updated to reflect changing needs and opportunities.
The website is a user-friendly gateway for information on working as part of the team in the tens of thousands of businesses that make up the tourism industry.
The website is also supported by a CD-ROM.
Like all good CD-ROMs, it's interactive - making a terrific resource for schools and employment agencies.
And it's especially useful in places where internet coverage is patchy, which are often the same places where demand for skills is greatest.
The careers portal fits very nicely with the Australian Government's long-term designs for the tourism industry.
As part of the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy, the Labour and Skills Working Group aims to improve the tourism and hospitality industries' ability to attract and retain labour.
This can happen through better workforce planning, innovative recruitment initiatives and improved training and career opportunities.
The Group's four priorities as part of its two-year forward work plan are:
- Enhancing recruitment and staff retention
- Creating a regional profiling capability to target labour and skills 'hot spots'
- Identifying skills gaps and potential ways to address them
- And increasing workforce mobility.
Very soon, we'll be explaining how every tourism business in Australia can help us to achieve these goals.
We've engaged Deloitte Access Economics to develop tourism and hospitality labour force profiles.
The results of a survey they're doing will help us to pinpoint the hot-spots of skills gaps across Australia.
This work will also be very useful in feeding into the current work plan.
State and Territory Tourism Organisations will invite businesses in their own area to complete the survey.
You can also take part by visiting my Department's website at ret.gov.au.
I urge everyone to do so.
At the same time, tourism ministers are working towards a uniform approach to the Responsible Service of Alcohol.
We're working to facilitate national recognition of RSA certificates – across jurisdictions.
This is due for completion in the middle of this year.
Employers will be able to draw on a wider pool of workers to keep their businesses productive.
All these initiatives on labour and skills will help to enhance the resilience, diversity and productivity of the Australian tourism industry.
So the Australian Government is proud to support Discover Tourism through the TQUAL Grants program.
We've contributed just over $130,000 to the project.
And Discover Tourism is just one of many tourism projects we're supporting.
To date, we've allocated more than $8 million to projects across Australia as part of the TQUAL Grants program.
In the coming days and weeks, we’ll have more to say about TQUAL Grants funding.
The Australian Government has committed an additional $40 million to TQUAL Grants over four years.
We'll be supporting more community-based tourism projects with grants of up to $100,000.
And we'll support larger, strategic projects that strengthen the supply-side of our tourism industry.
Conclusion
Discover Tourism's underlying message is that a career in the tourism and hospitality industry can be the most vibrant experience of your life.
Discover Tourism will attract more people to find their chosen career in the tourism industry, and motivate those already in it to refresh their skills at every opportunity.
I thank the Alliance for their initiative, and wish you every success with this project.
I am pleased to launch Discover Tourism - A National Tourism Careers Resource.
Thank you