Corinne Mulholland (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With Halloween now done and the Melbourne Cup race run, it's time to look forward to Christmas. It is seven weeks until Christmas. Many people will start winding down in December, but this is exactly the time when retail and distribution staff start ramping up, and it is our retail, distribution and transport workers who keep our supermarket shelves stocked and our country moving.

Last month I visited the Woolworths distribution centre at Larapinta alongside SDA state secretary Justin Power, and I can tell you that the scale of the operation there is truly extraordinary. With a workforce of more than 2,150 people across 115,000 square metres of warehouse space, it is one of Australia's largest distribution centres with good union jobs thanks to unions who have fought hard to deliver impressive EBA results at that site. And what a site it is.

The minute-by-minute logistical precision required to get every truck order right is incredible. When I was there, a fully stocked truck was leaving the dock every four minutes to one of the 284 Woolworths stores in the network that stretches from Coffs Harbour in the south to Roma in the west and all the way up to Weipa, more than 3,000 kilometres north. Remarkably, the team's packing accuracy this year sits at around 99.4 per cent, with 98 per cent of deliveries on time. Every week, around four million cartons of groceries, fresh produce and perishables move through that facility. On the tour, I even spotted a few mince pies, Christmas bonbons and candy canes ready to be shipped out to stores for Christmas.

I want to thank all of the warehouse pickers, forklift drivers, logistical staff, truck drivers and, of course, frontline retail staff who will make Christmas possible this year. They will be working 24/7 this December. That's why this Christmas I want to ask everyone to be patient and respectful of our retail and distribution workers. Whether it's the person stacking the shelves, scanning your groceries or driving the truck that brought them there, they all play a part in making sure we have a special time with our families at Christmas. This festive season, let's remember to respect the workers to make Christmas happen and remember that nobody deserves a serve.

Last night I was also proud to host the inaugural Parliamentary Friends of Tourism event for the 48th Parliament, with tourism minister Don Farrell and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as our special guests. It was a time to toast the industry's resilience, creativity and sheer determination. The post-COVID years have been tough times for tourism, with market fluctuations, geopolitical shifts, reduced airline capacity and other complications keeping the industry on its toes. This is why the Albanese government has been backing Tourism Australia's global campaign to bring international tourists back to Australia. It also activates new markets where we will see growth potential this year.

The 'Come and Say G'day' campaign builds on the success of a similar strategy launched in 2022. The current second chapter is a new $130 million effort that will run for two years. It features Ruby the Roo, who made a guest appearance last night. Ruby has a warm, welcoming and playful personality that embodies the spirit of Australia. Best yet, the character is voiced by our very own Rose Byrne. Ruby appears alongside a host of other international celebrities, including Robert Irwin, Nigella Lawson and Sara Tendulkar, who each share their own personalised g'day experience, be it food, luxury or adventure. The campaign is going well, with positive indicators including increased global interest in Australian holidays and a 10 per cent rise in flight searches compared to 2019. In this way, the 'Come and Say G'day' campaign is an investment in our broader economy.

Tourism isn't just about where Australians live; it's about how 'brand Australia' lives in the hearts and minds of people around the world. As Australians we are all ambassadors for 'brand Australia'. We all have a duty to ensure visitors have the time of their lives here. I also believe we have a duty as ambassadors to explore more of this country to properly appreciate how lucky we are to call this place home. Make it your Christmas gift to give yourself and your family somewhere to discover this year in Australia.