Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Tourism and International Education) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator O'Sullivan again for his question. As I said in my primary answer, tourism has been identified as one of the five super-growth sectors of the Australian economy. It is, in fact, underpinning our economic future, and it will help the economy transition away from the mining boom.

At a time of structural change, the growth of our tourism industry will be one of the essential elements to rebalance and re-position our economy for new jobs. Almost one million—or one in 12—workers in Australia are employed in the tourism sector compared to 280,000 in the mining industry. Strong growth is forecast for our tourism industry over the next decade, at the rate of 4.1 per cent each year, and that is well above the national growth average. It is clear that tourism is an important economic portfolio and a major employer.