Peak industry body Accommodation Australia has outlined its recommendations to all political parties ahead of the upcoming federal election.
The recommendations span several categories including skills, migration, tourism, short-term rental reforms, energy, tax and small business support issues.
The manifesto calls for increasing Tourism Australia’s funding to $200 million per annum plus $20 million for events to drive international tourism and to facilitate an increase and diversification of international and domestic aviation capacity and competition.
AA wants to freeze the Passenger Movement Charge and invest more of its proceeds into improving the traveller border processing experience.
In relation to training and skills, AA wants government to recognise the accommodation and food service industry and its one-million strong workforce as a priority for training funding to achieve higher productivity of our labour- intensive industry, as well as facilitate more post-school qualifications for the workers.
Also a top priority is employer incentives to food trades apprentices and restore hospitality traineeship incentives.
On migration, AA is seeking a minimum of 47,000 employer sponsored places per annum within the permanent migration program and to restore restaurant manager to the Core Skills Occupation List, to ensure all of the key skilled occupations vital to hospitality are eligible for sponsorship and allow regional employers to sponsor all skilled occupations for temporary or permanent skilled migration.
AA also wants to halve the Skilling Australians Fund levy and continue to invest in improving processing times and continue access for working holiday makers to second and third year visas, and that this eligibility be reliant on work in the regions, but expand the way current regions are defined.
On short term rental accommodation, AA is seeking to improve housing availability and affordability by overseeing a national framework of State/Territory regulation of short-term rental accommodation including a registration system, a cap of 90 days per annum and scope for local governments to impose lower caps, as well as effective enforcement of the regulation.
On energy, tax and small business support, AA is is seeking incentives and subsidies to alleviate the crippling increasing costs of energy and retain hospitality industry access to gas as an energy source, and remove fringe benefits tax on legitimate business entertainment expenses and restore their deductibility (excluding alcohol costs) for small business.
The Association also wants to increase the accelerated depreciation rate for accommodation properties to improve cash flow and support increased hotel refurbishment.
Boosting the NSW visitor economy
Speaking at a recent Accommodation Australia NSW event in Sydney, Acting CEO of Destination NSW, Karen Jones, emphasised the importance of hotels to supporting a new strategy for the visitor economy.
“We’ve set some pretty ambitious targets, and we’re going to boost our growth target by 40%,” Jones said.
“We’re aiming to get the New South Wales visitor economy up to AU$91 billion of annual expenditure by the middle of next decade.
“That’s a real stretch target for us, but we’re prepared, and we’re ready for the challenge.
“Our strategy review found that to get to that level, we’ll need to build an extra 40,000 hotel rooms, which is an increase of 41% on current levels over the next 10 years.
“There is a lot of work, and there’s lots of growth ahead for the hotel sector. So, watch this space.”
Accommodation Australia National CEO, James Goodwin, was also in attendance at the event.
AA New South Wales board’s Co Chair, Patrick Lonergan, said the year ahead is one of continued optimism.
“Business has improved and is moving in the right direction,” he said.
“The solid result is driven by increased air capacities, improved cruise ship business, and corporate activity.
“Our single unified voice has strengthened our advocacy efforts and enhanced our contribution to government policies at a state and national level.”