THE Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has warned that the quarterly tourism labour statistics released this week only hint at the current and future employment carnage across travel agencies.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics Tourism Satellite Account: tourism labour statistics[1] track the health of the tourism sector over the year to March 2020 and capture the impact of the December 2019 and January bushfires and the beginning of international travel restrictions due to COVID-10.

The quarterly report shows that the impact of the bushfires and the beginning of COVID-19 alone cost the sector 21,900 jobs, 74 percent of which were full time positions. This is the largest ever fall recorded by the ABS since tracking of tourism jobs began in 2004.

“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, travel agents operated close to 3,000 locations nationally and employed 40,000 Australians," AFTA CEO, Darren Rudd said. "A recent AFTA member survey showed 98 percent of our member travel agents have seen revenues drop by 90 percent and more as a result of the pandemic.

“These ABS quarterly stats reflect the fact that tourism has been harder hit than the wider economy however we know from our member agents that while JobKeeper has been a very welcome lifeline to keep travel consultants working, this situation has already worsened significantly since March.

“AFTA continues to work closely and collaboratively with government and across the business community to find the best path forward that will allow things to start returning to normal while accommodating the necessary health measures. In addition to pushing for additional support, AFTA continues to push hard for the introduction of travel bubbles," Mr Rudd said.

“Today’s news that JobKeeper eligibility will be further eased to allow businesses easier access to the extension is also greatly welcomed.

“Only three countries in the world have completely closed their borders – India, New Zealand and Australia. While we understand the health rationale, we need to find a way forward by working together to end this commercial and cultural discrimination and get us travelling again.”

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[1] https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/980F9B8D39809902CA2585BB00254CED?OpenDocument

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QUEENSLANDERS can count on the resources industry to continue to strictly comply with all government protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) said this week.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the industry was working closely with the State Government and office of the Chief Health Officer (CHO) to prevent the spread of the virus, especially into regional areas, and will do whatever is necessary to protect workers and the community.

“From Saturday, interstate FIFO workers from New South Wales and the ACT either need to be based in Queensland, or they will not be allowed to work here until restrictions are lifted,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“The only exception is if there is a potential safety incident, serious failure of equipment or a critical maintenance issue on a site.

“The latest protocols allow for a small number of highly skilled safety personnel and specialist maintenance workers to enter Queensland on a case-by-case basis as assessed by the CHO Dr Jeannette Young, but only under extremely strict conditions,” he said.

“The resources industry has been preparing for the possibility of more border closures for months, so bringing in specialist workers from interstate will only be necessary in the event of an unforeseen or unavoidable incident.”

He said the QRC would continue to work closely with the State Government to prioritise the health and security of the community and the economy, and to support the 372,000 people who currently work in the resources sector.

“To give people an idea of just how critical the resources industry is to Queensland, total state exports for the 12 months to June was $77.4 billion,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Mining and energy exports contributed a massive or $63 billion, or 81 percent, to that figure.

“It’s crucial the industry is able to continue to operate and maintain jobs, support local businesses and underpin the Queensland economy,” he said.

“For everyone’s sake, we need to continue to work together to keep the mining and energy sector healthy and fully operational, to help Queensland recover financially from COVID-19.”

www.qrc.org.au

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A CHARLES Darwin University (CDU) researcher in Alice Springs has warned that urgent action needs to be taken to minimise the environmental threat posed by thousands of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels that will be decommissioned in the next few years.

CDU’s Northern Institute Research Fellow Dr Deepika Mathur said, "The End-of-Life Management of Solar PV Panels project was the first attempt to address the waste management issue in remote Australia, where vast distances and the absence of economies of scale added complexity to finding solutions.

“There’s a perception that everything made can be recycled, but it’s just not that easy. Solar panels were not made to be unmade,” Dr Mathur said.

“As the oldest panels are already reaching their end-of-life, there is a critical need to start planning for the dismantling, removal, collection and recycling phases of management.”

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell has welcomed changes to the JobKeeper eligibility criteria that will support more Victorian small businesses impacted by tighter restrictions.

Under the new eligibility test, small businesses are only required to demonstrate a significant reduction in turnover in the September quarter, compared to the same quarter last year.

“The adjustments to the eligibility criteria will be a necessary lifeline, particularly to those small businesses in Victoria that were able to re-open when restrictions eased after the first wave, but are now impacted by tighter restrictions in response to the second wave,” Ms Carnell said.

“The changes also allow struggling small businesses to get JobKeeper payments for new staff who have been employed since 1 July.”

While the changes to JobKeeper apply nation-wide, Victorian small businesses are expected to take up 80% of the additional $15 billion allocated to the program.

“There’s no doubt the latest round of restrictions has been devastating for Victorian small businesses and the broader economy,” Ms Carnell said.

“The Federal Government’s commitment ‘to keep Australians in jobs and businesses in business’ will give small businesses a much-needed confidence boost at this very difficult time.

“Small businesses will be reassured by the government’s pledge to continue to back them so they can get to the other side of this crisis.

“In light of the restrictions imposed on small businesses in Melbourne and surrounds, the government should delay its plans to taper JobKeeper payments from the end of next month," she said.

“The reality is that these small businesses won’t be back on their feet by 28 September, when payments will be reduced and commercial rent deferrals are scheduled to expire.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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