THE Accommodation Association said while the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble was "a very welcome step in the right direction, the reality is that there will be very little real benefit for Australia’s tourism sector in the short term".

Tailored support was still desperately needed for Sydney and Melbourne CBD properties which rely so heavily on international and corporate markets despite the opening of the two way corridor from April 19, according to the association.
 
The association warned that the initial wave of travellers to take up the travel corridor would be visiting family and friends and unlikely to drive any significant benefit to Australia’s tourism sector including hotels and motels.

Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long said, “The opening of the trans-Tasman corridor is a very welcome step in the right direction but the reality is while it’s good news for the travel sector, given most travellers will be catching up with friends and families there’s very little immediate benefit for our tourism sector or our hotels and motels.

“With the end of JobKeeper and given the massive holes in the market especially in Australia’s international hubs of Sydney and Melbourne, the flow on benefits for our hotels and motels, and the many small businesses who supply them is negligible.

“There’s no doubt it will be a big kick along for consumer confidence but it doesn’t erase the need for tailored support for our accommodation sector. The reality is it’s great news for our travel sector but not so good for tourism," Mr Long said.

“New Zealand will have a net positive gain with an open border with Australia. Australians represent over 50 percent of all visitors to NZ and we spend nearly $1700 per trip with the majority on their ski fields. Total spend prior to COVID was A$2.5 billion with 1.5 million Aussies visiting as at year-end December 2019. Kiwis spend around $1800 per trip with 1.2 million visitors to Australia, with total spend of $2.1 billion.”

Key statistics

• The Accommodation Association represents close to 3,500 hotels, over 150,000 rooms and employed nearly 100,000 people across Australia (this is unfortunately now down to 58,000).
• Prior to the closure of the international and state borders, the accommodation industry contributed $17 billion to the Australian economy.
• 80% of revenue for Sydney CBD properties comes from international and corporate markets.
• Sydney is currently the worst performing city market in Australia with revenue declines of 67% and forward booking rates of less than 10% for the next 90 days. Melbourne, Australia’s other international hub, is similarly decimated.
• Initial take-up of the trans-Tasman corridor will be for visiting family and friends i.e. great news for airlines but not significant for tourism sector including accommodation.

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The Accommodation Association
The Accommodation Association represents over 80% of all known accommodation providers from small regional parks, caravan parks, serviced apartments and resorts through to the largest hotel groups in the world including Accor, Hilton, Wyndham Destinations and IHG

THE INQUIRY into pathways and participation opportunities for Indigenous Australians in employment and business is holding further public hearings by conference call on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.

Julian Leeser MP, Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs, noted that stakeholders appearing would include health organisations, Indigenous businesses, university researchers and government agencies.

"These hearings will contribute significantly to the existing body of evidence for this inquiry," he said.

"The committee looks forward to discussing gaps and opportunities in the workforce and future growth sectors that could result in employment and enterprise options for Indigenous Australians," Mr Leeser said.

"We will be particularly interested to hear from Indigenous business owners about their experiences running successful enterprises. It will be particularly useful to learn about present challenges and how Government can better facilitate business opportunities."

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday, 7 April 2021
Time: 9.50am to 4pm AEST

A live audio stream of the hearing will be accessible at https://www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen.

A full program will be available at the inquiry website.

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THE Electric Vehicle Council has welcomed the Australian Labor Party’s pledge to make electric vehicles more affordable.

Labor has undertaken to introduce an Electric Car Discount to make electric cars cheaper for Australians.

As part of the discount, Labor would exempt many electric cars from: Import tariffs – a five per cent tax on some imported electric cars. Fringe benefits tax – a 47 percent tax on electric cars that are provided through work for private use

These exemptions would be available to all electric cars below the luxury car tax threshold for fuel efficient vehicles ($77,565 in 2020-21). 

Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari applauded the ALP’s announcement.

“Australians want to make the switch to electric vehicles, but the lack of leadership nationally has limited their options,” Mr Jafari said.

“Electric vehicles are cheaper to run, require less maintenance and are better for the environment. It is only government inaction that is causing us to trail the rest of the world in electric vehicle uptake.

“This policy would encourage car manufacturers to import and supply more affordable electric models in Australia. This makes it a win for the environment and a win for fairness.

“This is the type of sensible action that has been taken by world leaders from all sides of politics. It is proven to work by making electric vehicles more affordable for more Australians.

“Unlike Victorian Labor, which is making electric vehicles more expensive with an unnecessary and premature electric vehicle tax, the federal ALP has steered in the right direction.”

Mr Jafari said Labor has also promised to: 

• Work with industry, unions, states and consumers to develop Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, including consideration of:
  • Further measures to increase electric car sales and infrastructure;
  • Policy settings to encourage Australian manufacturing of electric car components (especially batteries) and possibly cars themselves; and
  • Ways to address the revenue and policy implications of declining fuel excise.
• Consider how the Commonwealth’s existing investment in infrastructure can be leveraged to increase charging stations across the country; and
• Consider how other existing Commonwealth investments, including in its fleet, property and leases, can also be leveraged.

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A MORE COORDINATED and comprehensive national approach is needed to make a meaningful reduction in the unacceptable rates of family, domestic and sexual violence, according to a bipartisan report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs released today.

In its report, the committee makes 88 bipartisan recommendations which seek to inform the development of the next National Plan to reduce violence against women and their children, due to commence in mid-2022.

The committee’s recommendations include the development of a uniform national definition of family, domestic and sexual violence, universal age-appropriate respectful relationships and sexual consent education, measures to address coercive control and technology-facilitated abuse, and the establishment of a National Commissioner to have independent oversight of the next National Plan.

The committee’s recommendations also include measures to ensure that the welfare of victim-survivors and their children is at the centre of responses to family, domestic and sexual violence, a continued focus on education and primary prevention, and a stronger focus on programs to change perpetrators’ behaviour.

Chair of the committee, Andrew Wallace MP, said evidence to the committee highlighted that a whole-of-society response was essential.

"While all Australian governments have made substantial investments in an attempt to reduce family, domestic and sexual violence, it remains that one woman is killed on average every eight days at the hands of her partner or former partner. This senseless violence and abuse is sadly all too common, and its impact is profound and long lasting on family, friends and indeed the entire community," Mr Wallace said.

"There is much more work to do. As a nation we must do better to begin addressing these appalling statistics.

"The committee’s recommendations are wide ranging, but our clear message is that we need a more coordinated and comprehensive national approach to ending all forms of family, domestic and sexual violence. It is perpetrators that are responsible for their use of violence, but everyone has a role in bringing about change and stopping violence before it starts."

The committee is indebted to many organisations and individuals who contributed evidence throughout the inquiry, he said, in particular, the committee acknowledges the contributions made by victim-survivors who shared their experiences with the committee.

A full copy of the committee’s report can be found on the inquiry’s website.

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