Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Restaurant and Catering Association Lifetime Achiever Awards here at Parliament House. It was an absolute privilege to watch the recipients of this year's awards—Faith Nichols, Chris Lucas, Miccal Cummins, Peter Clarke, Jimmy Shu and Robert Molines—receive their accolades. Some came to this country as migrants and all have made an enormous contribution to the industry with their incredible work ethic and resilience. Their lifetime of service to the industry they love has made a significant contribution to our country.

I'd like to acknowledge the strong advocacy of CEO Wes Lambert, who has been steadfast through this challenging time. Resilience was a common theme during last night's event, and I was particularly moved by the speech from Chris Lucas, owner of Melbourne's iconic Chin Chin, who spoke so passionately and emotionally about the effect the continual lockdowns in Victoria have had on the restaurant scene in the city and the damage they have done to their food culture scene. It really is taking its toll. I appeal to state governments to reconsider lockdowns as a strategy going forward and look to the example of states like New South Wales, who have seen far less disruption in the industry. As mentioned when I spoke to the room last night, there's a particular type of resilience that exists in the hospitality industry, where it can be tough to survive at the best of times, but COVID has really pushed the limits to the brink.

I spent many years working in hospitality. My time spent in the industry was one of the best and most satisfying work experiences I have had and one that I would be proud to return to one day—though, to be clear, I don't have intentions of going anywhere soon! Amongst many memories I have great memories of working in hospitality in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics and made great friendships that have endured to this today. It is an industry that can take you anywhere in the country; indeed, the world. It is a creative, exciting and dynamic industry. I believe that more needs to be done to encourage young people to consider that this can be a career path. Hospitality can be more than just a casual job—not just the one you take while at uni or while you are trying to figure out what you really want to do. Strong, fulfilling long-term careers await.

Northern Tasmanian locals need only look at the career paths of Bianca and James Welsh for inspiration. Beginning their careers as waiters, the two have gone on to become co-owners of the acclaimed Black Cow Bistro and Stillwater restaurants and have won a range of awards, including Bianca winning the Tasmanian 2019 Tourism Young Achiever's Award and James achieving success as a sommelier, with Stillwater winning a number of awards for its wine list. Both are incredibly hardworking and tenacious people who are living proof that there can be long-term success in hospitality.

I believe this conversation around hospitality as a career needs to begin happening now, at a time when we are already seeing an eye-watering number of jobs that cannot be filled. Across Australia there are tens of thousands of jobs available from server, to restaurant manager, cafe manager and chef or cook. Seek alone has thousands of current vacancies advertised under these job titles, with 24,000 advertised under the general 'hospitality banner'. In Tasmania alone there are 577 current vacancies—a significant number when you consider our population size.

These numbers are not surprising to me and were highlighted in local media today by Karen Burbury, owner of Cataract on Paterson and Rupert and Hound in Launceston. Karen and I have had many discussions on the issue of skill shortages, finding people who want to work in this industry and the pressure this has put on her successful businesses. The situation has now reached a point where Karen will close the doors of Rupert and Hound for two weeks to provide further training for her staff.

Like Karen, I believe that we need to think outside the square when it comes to addressing the significant workforce shortage that exists, by attracting staff to fill the gaps in the workforce, looking at innovative training options and keeping people on in the long term, which is a sentiment backed by the Tasmanian Hospitality Association. I welcome the work already done by our government to assist the sector with skills shortages. But, in the same way that the challenges of COVID-19 have renewed our interest in rebuilding our sovereign capability in other areas such as manufacturing, so too, I believe, we have an opportunity to grow and nurture talented hospitality and tourism professionals right here in Australia. As a strong advocate for the hospitality industry, I am committed to working with this sector to find long-term sustainable solutions to the current challenges.