Spurred on by industry feedback received at September’s Jobs and Skills Summit, several budget provisions respond directly to initiatives and priorities proposed at the Summit by industry. A key win for our sector is a federal commitment to funding for skills and workforce. The permanent Migration Program will be expanded from 160,000 to 195,000 in 2022-23. Significantly, more than 90 per cent of new places will be allocated to skilled migrants, and more than a quarter will be targeted to regional areas.
Additional funding of $42.2 million will be provided to accelerate visa processing and raise awareness of opportunities for high-skilled migrants in the nation’s permanent Migration Program. A vital investment that will go some way to addressing the skills shortage hindering our industry.
Another key success for skills development is a federal investment of $921.7 million for the Vocational Education and Training system. As well as $12.9 million to establish Jobs and Skills Australia. While another $61.9 million will provide age pensioners with a credit of $4,000 to their Work Bonus income bank, helping to reduce barriers to work.
Responding directly to our tourism needs, the Federal Government has committed $48 million to support recruitment and marketing in the tourism and travel sectors and for infrastructure upgrades to caravan parks. $10.3 million will also be invested into the National Tourism Icons package, which includes construction of Queensland’s Wangetti Trail. $36.8 million has been set aside to support the critical arts sector and $12.3 million to sponsor regional agriculture trade events, including Beef Australia 2024. Financial assistance has also been provided for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, with $24.7 million assigned to support the preparation of the Games.
The development of Indigenous tourism is another key pillar of QTIC’s advocacy, as such, I am pleased to see the commitment of $14.7 million to support the protection of Australia’s cultural and First Nations heritage sites. $17 million will also be co-invested with states on strategic projects that increase the supply of Indigenous tourism experiences. With consumer demand for authentic cultural experiences growing, this is an important investment for Queensland tourism.
In terms of supporting sustainability initiatives within the tourism sector, $62.6 million has been allocated to assist small to medium enterprises in funding energy efficient equipment upgrades. While $71.9 million has been assigned to the Townsville region to deliver a new green hydrogen hub in the area.
Another key advocacy priority for QTIC has been the rollout of infrastructure that supports increased touring of our regions. A $39.8 million commitment by the Federal Government to establish a National Electric Vehicle Charging Network will deliver 117 fast charging stations on highways across Australia. $2.1 billion has also been allocated for priority rail and road infrastructure projects in Queensland.
With affordable insurance a key advocacy policy for QTIC, I am encouraged to see funding of $25.3 million for the National Emergency Management Agency for initiatives to improve insurance affordability. Improvement measures include the establishment of new partnerships with the private sector.
Despite these considerable commitments from the federal government, QTIC is concerned with the Budget announcement of a reduction in funding for Tourism Australia over the next two years. As international borders reopen and our tourism sector vies for global visitors in an extremely competitive market, it is critical that Australia’s tourism industry maintains its competitive edge. This is not the time to reduce funding for Tourism Australia and QTIC will be urging the Federal Government to readdress this issue in the May budget.
The next 12 months are a critical time for our tourism industry, and we will continue to ensure that all levels of government understand the importance of supporting the revitalisation of our visitor economy.
Kind Regards,
Brett Fraser
QTIC CEO
