JASON CLARE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INVESTMENT
SHADOW MINISTER FOR RESOURCES AND NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
MEMBER FOR BLAXLAND
LUKE GOSLING MP
MEMBER FOR SOLOMON
TOURISM JOBS BOOST FOR THE TERRITORY
Federal Labor’s $1 billion investment in new tourism infrastructure for Northern Australia will mean more support for the industry and more jobs for the Territory.
Shadow Minister for Northern Australia Jason Clare and local Federal MP Luke Gosling will meet with tourism operators today in Darwin.
While about 1.6 million people visited the Territory in the year to June 2017, the number of domestic visitors to the Top End was down 1.0 per cent on the previous year. Labor wants to see more people visit the region, not fewer.
In 2016 visitor expenditure in the Territory topped $2.6 billion. Tourism is a key economic driver in the region accounting for around 6.4 per cent of all jobs in the Territory.
More tourism means more jobs. That’s why Labor will invest in upgrading infrastructure specifically aimed at taking advantage of the unique tourism experiences offered in places like Darwin.
Labor will establish the Northern Australia Tourism Infrastructure Fund to provide financing and concessional loans to build new tourism infrastructure in Northern Australia.
We need to make sure the infrastructure is in place to encourage more people to visit Northern Australia and experience all it has to offer.
The World Economic Forum’s 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index ranked Australia 7th for overall competitiveness, but 14th for overall infrastructure.
Ground and port infrastructure in Australia is ranked 53rd.
That’s not good enough.
The Northern Territory sits on the doorstep of the world’s fastest growing middle class in Asia. By 2030, there will be three billion middle class consumers just to our north.
Labor wants them go to the Territory for their holidays.
But, we know we have to make sure that Territorians can compete with other world-class destinations.
That’s why we will invest $1 billion in upgrading airports, tourist trails and ports in places like the Northern Territory and right across Northern Australia.
The Fund will be fully offset by the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.
Malcolm Turnbull has failed to get one job or one dollar for the Territory from the NAIF. The local tourism industry needs action now, which is why Federal Labor is backing it with today’s announcement.
WEDNESDAY, 11 OCTOBER 2017
MEDIA CONTACT: 02 9790 2466
