Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the report Northern horizons—unleashing our tourism potential. Before I go on to make some remarks about the report and its significance for my electorate and the Northern Territory, I just want to acknowledge the good work of the committee and particularly the member for Leichhardt, the chair, and my friend and colleague the member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, the deputy chair, for their important work on this report.

The importance of tourism to the Northern Territory is massive, with 1.5 million domestic visitors and around 300,000 international visitors in 2017. In the Northern Territory, about 15½ thousand Territorians are employed either directly or indirectly in tourism, amounting to a whopping 11 per cent of the NT's total workforce. The NT government believes that tourism can be a $2.2 billion contributor to the Territory's economy by 2020, given the right support. There is no shortage of potential in northern Australia's tourism industry, and there is plenty in the Northern Territory. If managed properly, and if the challenges addressed in the report are met, Territory attractions like Uluru, Kakadu and Litchfield national parks can lead to increased international and domestic visitation, as well as more tourists returning for repeat visits.

I recently ran a tourism ideas-fest on the NT and Darwin in my electorate, where people came along and pitched their tourism ideas—and there were certainly plenty of those. But it requires investment, and it requires commitment. It requires the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, for example, to start supporting tourism in the NT.

I'm proud that a Shorten Labor government will inject $1 billion of the NAIF's funds into a northern Australia tourism infrastructure fund to provide financing and concessional loans to build new tourism infrastructure in northern Australia. We know that there is great international and domestic demand for unique cultural experiences. Obviously, the Northern Territory provides the perfect opportunity to grow the developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tourism ventures, as do Northern Queensland and the Kimberley. This international interest in our unique cultural experiences was confirmed when I ran another event recently, a forum that looked at how we can leverage off the direct flights between Darwin and mainland China that have now begun with Donghai Airlines. We ran that event to capture the lessons learned from the first month of direct flights from Darwin to mainland China, and Chinese tourists' interest in those unique experiences was absolutely confirmed.

I note that the report made 33 well-thought-out recommendations, but I am yet to see much from the government in terms of leadership on them. Recommendation 1, for example, states that the Darwin City Deal should be progressed as a matter of urgency. The current government and the current cities minister are not showing much urgency. In fact, it has been 444 days since the MOU for a City Deal between the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory government, a City Deal for Darwin, was signed. Other jurisdictions have had their City Deal confirmed much more quickly than that. Having provided all the information that the Commonwealth needs to confirm the City Deal, we are at a loss to understand why, after 445 days, the Prime Minister is unable to get on a plane, fly past the south, get into the Territory and just sign the deal. There is a huge opportunity in Darwin for business events. So the business community in Darwin is joining the call for the Prime Minister to visit Darwin, sign the City Deal and show some sort of interest.

But we're not going to wait for the Prime Minister to grace us with his presence in Darwin; we are bringing Darwin and the Northern Territory's business community to Parliament House when we again run the Facing North evening on 19 September this year. The economic contribution that we are missing out on in, for example, business events has been estimated to be worth well over $70 million. But it could be worth much more if that City Deal was confirmed and we could get on with building some more infrastructure in our city.

I say to those listening that if you haven't visited the NT, and if you haven't got out to Kakadu, you are really missing out. As Daryl Somers once said, 'if you never never go you'll never never know'. It's as true today as it was back then. I extend an invitation to the nation to get up to the Territory and visit our iconic parks. But what I want to say to those opposite is that the cuts to Kakadu National Park have meant that, even though the brand of Kakadu is well known, it is starting to look tired. It requires some effort and some input and some priority from the federal government. I am pleased to say that during the winter recess the shadow minister for northern Australia and member for Blaxland, Jason Clare, visited the Top End not once but twice, including getting out to Jabiru and understanding a bit more about what we need to polish the jewel in the Northern Territory's tourism crown that is Kakadu. Unfortunately we can't wait until we win the lottery—like the Great Barrier Reef Foundation! We are just asking for some funding for Kakadu. It needs some federal investment. We need the cuts to national park funding to cease. We need some investment but, unfortunately, we have seen nothing so far.

Another point of feedback that I have received from the consultations I have been doing with the tourism industry in the Top End and from the surveys coming back from the Chinese tourists on the direct flights with Donghai is that they are very interested in Australia and the Top End's World War II military history. Our military heritage is of increasing importance to the Darwin economy as a new generation of Australians take a keen interest in the defence of Australia in the two world wars. In particular, they want to visit Australia's Pearl Harbor—which, of course, is our city, Darwin, the capital of the north. The bombing was across the breadth of northern Australia. We are working on developing more tourism opportunities so that Australians can come on that pilgrimage to the north and understand our World War II history and see the resilience of a people in the Top End that rebuilt Darwin not just once but twice—after the Japanese bombings and after Cyclone Tracy.

Members would have heard me speak in the past about the Rushcutter. I am happy to be able to report to the House that we succeeded in getting the Rushcutter, the World War II patrol boat, off the beach in Darwin Harbour and into a cradle. It is now out of the water and supported in a cradle. We will soon begin the restoration of that incredible piece of our maritime and military history. Again, I commend the committee and, in particular, the member for Lingiari for the work on this report, and I commend it to the House.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to make a contribution to the report Northern horizons—unleashing our tourism potential, and I do so as the shadow minister for tourism. In his book Island Home, Tim Winton said this about Australia:

It's good for the spirit, to be reminded as an individual or a community that there will always be something bigger, older, richer and more complex than ourselves to consider.

Northern Australia is home to vast and divergent landscapes, from the rainforests of the Daintree to the rocky outcrops of Kakadu and the brilliant white beaches of Broome. But we are also home to the oldest living culture in the world, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who have passed down their stories and practices through each generation. We are indeed privileged to be part of that culture. Northern Australia has so much to offer, both to its residents and to people from other parts of Australia, such as myself from Sydney, but also to international visitors. It is a very special place.

The federal government has a responsibility to work with state and local governments, as well as businesses and communities, to unlock the tourism potential of northern Australia. We know that tourism is a super growth sector. It employs one million Australians and generates more than $97 billion in economic activity a year. The Great Barrier Reef alone supports nearly 60,000 jobs in Australia. In the year ending March 2018, Australia received 8.3 million international visitors, up eight per cent, with a visitor spend of $42.3 billion. But this increase is, of course, not evenly shared around the nation. We need to ensure that cities, towns and smaller communities across northern Australia benefit from any policy actions the federal government takes as a consequence of this report. The fact is that, at the moment, the approach of the government is one that sometimes just undermines tourism opportunities in northern Australia.

Just this week, I was contacted by the Cairns based tourism operator Coral Expeditions. It's a cruise company whose vessels are crewed by Australians. They currently employ 150 seafarers, contribute to the development of skills and employment in the Australian maritime industry in northern Australia and deliver economic and community benefits. For 34 years this proud Australian business has managed to remain viable and is now planning to invest some $100 million over the next three years to acquire two additional vessels. To operate those vessels, they intend to recruit an additional 70 Australian seafarers—more local jobs. Their most popular cruises are to the waters around the Kimberley, Arnhem Land and the Cape York regions. They also offer expeditions along the length of the Great Barrier Reef. However, if the bill that is now being discussed before this House were to become law, it would jeopardise not only Coral Expedition's expansion plans and the jobs that it would create but, more significantly, the very existence of Australian based companies like themselves. In the words of the company's group general manager, Mark Fifield, and its commercial director, Jeff Gillies, this piece of legislation will have the unintended consequence of killing off the growing and globally respected Australian flagged expedition cruise ship industry. This will have a significant negative impact on sustainable tourism and the environment in remote and sensitive coastal areas in Australia and on the revival of Australian seafaring. The letter concludes with this simple request: 'We urge that the current restrictions on coastal trading for foreign flagged passenger ships be maintained in order to facilitate the steady and sustainable development of coastal tourism and the Australian seafaring industry.'

Of course, that echoes the calls from True North Adventure Cruises, based in north-west Western Australia. Bill Melby came and gave evidence in 2015 during the debate that occurred about the government's coastal trading legislation—the last time it was defeated. He warned the government that those changes would put him out of business. The government advised Mr Melby to sack his crew, reflag overseas and hire a foreign crew! This is the approach towards jobs in northern Australia of those opposite, particularly in the tourism sector. And this is high-value tourism. This is an industry that we should be cherishing, and yet it's dismissed by the government.

I'm also concerned about the recommendations in this report to remove cabotage when it comes to the aviation sector: recommendations 9 and 30. This would allow foreign airlines to fly domestic routes in northern Australia, having, of course, foreign crews being paid foreign wages, just like the government's approach towards the shipping sector. Such a policy would have in the very short-term a devastating impact on the tourism sector and on access, particularly in the smaller regional towns around northern Australia. What we have at the moment are the airlines, such as Qantas and Virgin, and other smaller airlines, like Airnorth, saying very clearly that what we would have is cherrypicking from overseas airlines in order to remove some of the cross-subsidisation that occurs on some of the smaller routes that fly around northern Australia. We certainly wouldn't have any commercial flights into places in Far North Queensland like Weipa and Normanton, or Mount Isa and Cloncurry for that matter. They would simply disappear, let alone Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory or Kununurra in Western Australia. All of these destinations would be under pressure.

This is ideology before reality. We know that Australia already has the most liberal aviation regime in the world. The fact is that as part of our aviation white paper foreign airlines can gain greater access to the capital cities, to the primary international airports—Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth—if they're prepared to fly through those secondary international airports, be they Darwin, Cairns, Broome or Townsville. Then those opportunities are available.

I think the fact is that we also need to support Indigenous tourism. I sat down in Western Australia recently for a round table, and WAITOC, the Western Australia Indigenous Tourism Operators Council, is a great example of Indigenous communities coming together and promoting experiences, particularly in remote areas, where people's lives could be enriched, literally, by having that experience. At the same time that is creating jobs for people in those regional communities, particularly Indigenous Australians.

Similarly, the opportunities that are there in the Northern Territory and in Far North Queensland are indeed substantial. We do need to look at the particular needs, as the previous speaker, the member for Solomon, said about Kakadu. I know that the member for Lingiari is a passionate supporter of Kakadu National Park and the opportunities that need to be taken at the time when we have withdrawal of mining around Jabiru. That is an opportunity; it's a challenge, but done right it can create economic opportunity for those communities. Indeed, that iconic site of Kakadu National Park is so important—that people are able to experience that wonderful part of Australia.

There is much more that we can do, but I say to the parliament that Labor is prepared to work with the government and, importantly, with communities to maximise employment outcomes.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 17 : 09 to 17 : 23

Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia I had the privilege to travel across northern Australia, including the territories of Cocos (Keeling) and Christmas islands, to experience firsthand the challenges that communities are facing in developing tourism and employment opportunities for our First Nations people and local residents. Our committee talked with and listened to a wide range of community members, including First Nations people, business owners and industry and community groups, in order to deliver the final report—Northern horizons: unleashing our tourism potential.

Very quickly it became very obvious to me that, regardless of the location, the issues across northern Australia were very similar. Further growth in development is dependent upon investment in vital infrastructure that will encourage and deliver growth opportunities for all. It is no exaggeration to say that northern Australia has a significant role to play in the further development of our growth in and connection with the Asia-Pacific region. This is not only in the area of tourism. Our community-based services and agricultural, health, education and tourism industries all create opportunities for imports and exports, which in turn make a significant contribution to the nation's economy. Developing northern Australia across a diverse range of industries and sectors will also create numerous secure, quality and well-paid jobs for local communities, including apprenticeships and traineeships for our young people, including our First Nations youth. It will also open up a diverse range of business opportunities for First Nations people and other community members.

At Nitmiluk—which is the traditional owners', the Jawoyn people's, name for Katherine Gorge—I saw firsthand an inspirational collaboration between the Territory government, national parks and the Jawoyn people in a professional and diverse tourism operation that is creating local jobs for First Nations people and other community members. The challenges and barriers to developing tourism in northern Australia are clearly evident. But in my view they are not unsurmountable, which is evident in the Northern horizons: unleashing our tourism potential report. As a North Queenslander, I take an enormous amount of pride in northern Australia and its enormous potential. But I also acknowledge that success, and a fair go for all, in northern Australia will require a collaborative approach across the jurisdictions of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. We will be much more successful if we leverage off each other rather than compete with each other.

The report on the inquiry into opportunities and methods of stimulating the tourism industry in northern Australia demonstrates the clear need for the government to prioritise policy development and expenditure in the north, as clearly identified in the 33 recommendations. The single most significant issue that I noted at every hearing that I attended, regardless of the location, was access to timely, reliable and affordable flights. The release of this report is quite timely for North Queensland as this week a delegation of 90 political, business and community leaders from the north have arrived in Canberra to showcase our wonderful part of the country. They are here to have their voices heard and to network with the nation's politicians to discuss the priorities that we believe we need to move forward in our region.

Mayors from Townsville, Charters Towers, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island and the Burdekin are joining representatives from a range of business sectors, including the tourism sector, to discuss infrastructure projects that are vital for the north to grow and thrive into the future. The Townsville Enterprise Ltd Northern Queensland delegation has prepared a thoughtful list of priorities that have been agreed to across the northern region. Many of the identified priorities on the list will not be a surprise to the Turnbull government. It will be no surprise to the Turnbull government that the list of priorities for Townsville includes the following infrastructure projects. It includes $75 million for the Townsville port expansion and a long-term water security solution. We need the government to match Labor's commitment of $100 million for stage 2 of the Burdekin pipeline. On energy infrastructure, we also need the Turnbull government to match Labor's commitment of $200 million to develop hydro energy on the Burdekin Falls Dam.

Federal Labor understands that Townsville is the largest city in northern Australia, with a capacity and willingness to play a central role in the development of northern Australia. But we need real funding and vital infrastructure, not only in my community but across northern Australia. Infrastructure such as I have mentioned will boost Townsville's economy, increase business confidence and expand our connections in the Asia-Pacific, all of which will create secure local jobs.

To date, the Turnbull government has refused to invest one single cent into the infrastructure projects I have mentioned, which is simply unacceptable. The Northern horizons: unleashing our tourism potential report is now a catalyst for the Turnbull government to get behind the development of northern Australia and start allocating infrastructure funds to the northern Australia regions. The future of our region and northern Australia must not be used as a political football, because developing the northern part of this country is far too important. Northern Australia needs real investment—and we need it now, not just at election time.

The tourism industry already makes a significant contribution to employment and the economy in the north. In 2014-15, over 17 million tourists visited Australia and spent over $9.9 billion. However, northern Australia only attracts a small portion of overall visits to Australia. In 2013-14, approximately 9.3 per cent of international overnight stays and 12.7 percent of domestic overnight stays were in northern Australia. This only suggests that there are opportunities to expand the tourism industry to support increased visitation and expenditure across the north.

In order to stimulate tourism growth in northern Australia the committee identified a need to increase visitor awareness of northern Australia tourism destinations; to improve access to the north and between major tourism attractions; and to support the tourism industry to develop products, experiences and attractions on the ground that tourists will want to take the time to visit and, more importantly, to come back to again. The committee has made 33 recommendations, as I said, which focus on marketing, coordination, upgrading transport and telecommunications infrastructure, streamlining regulatory processes for tourism businesses, and enhancing and planning the coordination of tourism destinations and attractions across the north. I'm proud to say that Labor has committed $1 billion from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to the Northern Australia Tourism Infrastructure Fund to ensure that we have the much-needed investment to grow tourism in northern Australia.

I was born, raised, educated and married in Townsville. It is where my husband and I have raised our children. I have called Townsville home my entire life, apart from 3.5 years when I moved overseas and south for further studies. Many years ago Townsville was a tourism hub. We were the Mecca for tourists to visit, stay and play. However, due to lack of investment and vision, Townsville's tourism goldmine has been relocated to our neighbour's regions around Cairns. There is an untapped potential for Townsville's tourism market. We have the Great Barrier Reef on our front doorstep. Magnetic Island, one of Australia's top 15 islands, is located only minutes away. We have the cultural history—a significant cultural history—of our First Nations people on Palm Island, and we have the numerous garrison sites around our town. Why would you not invest in growing and expanding tourism in Townsville?

The Townsville port expansion project is a no-brainer project and is absolutely essential for our tourism industry to grow. At present, Townsville can only dock cruise ships carrying 1,500 people. If the port widening project went ahead our city would be able to accept larger ships carrying over 3,000 passengers. This would only further benefit our tourism industry, not to mention increasing income for our accommodation and hospitality businesses. Cruise tourism is the world's fastest growing tourism sector, which is why Townsville must play a role and have our port expanded. To do this we need the Turnbull government to match Labor's commitment of $75 million to the port expansion project.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I hope that the government takes seriously the report Northern Horizons—unleashing our tourism potential that has just been produced, because this will give northern Australia the infrastructure that is vital to the growth and further development of our regions.

Debate adjourned.