TOURISM SECTOR CONGRATULATES EFFORTS TO RESOLVE SKILLS SHORTAGE & BOOST INFRASTRUCTURE SPEND

The nation’s peak body for the tourism, transport and aviation sectors, the Tourism and Transport Forum welcomed tonight’s Federal Budget as a responsible first step to resolving the industries’ skills shortages and boosting infrastructure spending.

Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) CEO Margy Osmond acknowledged the additional free TAFE courses, cheaper childcare and extra housing investment as positive measures to help fill key skills gaps and attract workers to tourism, transport and aviation, which have all been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

“Starting with 180,000 places next year and increasing to 465,000 over the next four years, these free TAFE spots will help fill the skills gaps, particularly in tourism. It’s a solid start to target skills in short supply, but we hope to see more industry-led training as well,” Ms Osmond said.

She also supported the new national housing plan, which should help entice workers to new areas, especially in rural and regional Australia.

“Building one million new homes over five years from 2024 near emerging jobs, including an extra 20,000 affordable houses, will help our sectors attract the workers they desperately need. The staffing problems can’t be fixed by extra training alone,” she said.

Ms Osmond also welcomed the budget’s commitment to helping clear the backlog of visa applications and other previously announced measures to encourage foreign workers to come to Australia.

She acknowledged the government’s focus on infrastructure spending confirmed tonight, with the budget laying out $61.3 billion over the next four years, including for priority road and rail projects.

“This will not only improve infrastructure facilities, but help create jobs and drive the economic recovery,” she said.

However, Ms Osmond suggested levels of international tourism funding should be revisited next year if Australia wants to successfully compete with other nations.

“We’re pleased to see a modest portion of the money that was promised under the previous government flowing through to Tourism Australia to help market Australia internationally and entice overseas visitors to our shores. But given how fiercely competitive the tourism advertising market is right now, we’d like to see these funding levels significantly reconsidered in the May budget,” she said.

Media contact: Olivia Leeming | oleeming@ttf.org.au