Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education, representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Will the minister outline to the House the steps the Morrison government is taking in response to the devastating bushfires and the outbreak of the coronavirus, particularly in relation to the education sector and the trade and tourism sector?

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Boothby for her question. I know she is a passionate advocate for the tourism, trade and education sectors in this country and in South Australia in particular. There is no doubt that the bushfires and the coronavirus have created an unprecedented challenge for our tourism, trade and international education sectors. That's why the government is acting to protect jobs and businesses. It is why the government is working with the tourism sector, the trade sector and the international education sector to minimise the impact of the bushfires and the coronavirus.

My counterpart the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment has been working with businesses, peak bodies and state and territory counterparts to put together a package for the tourism industry following the impact of the bushfires. It's a significant package: $20 million for the Holiday Here This Year domestic marketing campaign, $25 million for an international marketing campaign to reinforce to global audiences that Australia is safe and open for business, $10 million for tourism initiatives to attract visitors back into fire affected regions, $6.5 million to get more international businesses and buyers to the Australian Tourism Exchange, $9.5 million for an international media hosting program and $5 million for public diplomacy initiatives. The government is serious about doing all it can to help our tourism industry.

When it comes to education, following the fires there's an $8 million mental health support package which is being delivered through beyondblue. There's funding for school chaplains and funding for community child care. Those from bushfire areas have been exempted from the activity test for the childcare subsidy. And there is special consideration for students from bushfire affected areas for the rural and regional enterprise scholarships.

When it comes to the coronavirus, my counterpart minister Simon Birmingham is working with the sector to deal with the impacts of the coronavirus—ongoing. We continue to engage with them. We've been engaging with my counterparts in the higher education sector on an almost daily basis. We've been engaging with state and territory ministers. We want to minimise the impact of the coronavirus on the education sector, on the tourism sector and on the trade sector in this country. That involves us all working together to do that, working with state and territory counterparts and with peak bodies. We'll continue to do it because it's absolutely vital for Australia's economy and for us to keep all Australians safe.