Fergie defends PMC hike

Fergie defends PMC hike
By admin


Tourism minister Martin Ferguson has told the industry it can no longer operate in isolation as he defended the $8 increase in the Passenger Movement Charge.

Speaking to Travel Today in Shanghai yesterday where Tourism Australia launched the next phase of its There’s Nothing like Australia campaign, Ferguson said he understood the concerns of the industry but insisted the increase was necessary.

His comments came as industry groups addressed a parliamentary committee examining a budget decision to raise the tax to $55 from July 1.

Reacting to criticism that the PMC massively over-collects what is needed for customs and airport services, Ferguson reeled off a list of projects where funding is required and which benefit the industry.

“We are spending money on Tourism Australia activities, employment and training, migration opportunities, visa processing,” he said. “This is where the old approach of tourism being a standalone ministry has gone. It’s a whole of Government approach.”

The industry should also remember that without the rise in the PMC there would be no $61 million Asia marketing fund which will be paid for by the rise in PMC, he added.

“Without that, you don’t have the capacity to lift your game in markets such as China.”

The industry has also benefited over the past 12 months from the seasonal workers program, a budget for catering training and the extension of the holiday visa program.

“So it’s not as if the industry is not getting enough attention,” Ferguson argued.

The minister added that the PMC was “nowhere near as high” as departure taxes in the UK and Europe.

“Industry groups have voiced their concerns, so be it. I respect their views and no one likes an increase in taxation. But I got the Asia marketing fund so there was a package for the benefit of the tourism industry and for the benefit of the whole business community which in essence wants fiscal responsibility.”

Latest News

  • Destinations
  • News

APT Launches 2025 Asia Adventures

APT has launched its Asia Adventures for 2025, including new luxury holidays in India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Five new tours lead guests to the highlights of India, including a seven-night cruise along the rarely travelled Lower Ganges aboard the Ganges Voyager. Further south, Sri Lanka’s greatest destinations are revealed on a new 15-day Land […]

  • Cruise
  • Luxury
  • News

Seabourn announces Western Kimberley Traditional Owners as Godparents of Seabourn Pursuit

Seabourn has named Western Kimberley Traditional Owners, the Wunambal Gaambera, as Godparents of the ultra-luxury purpose-built Seabourn Pursuit. It is the first cruise line to appoint Traditional Owners as godparents of a ship. Seabourn Pursuit embarks on its inaugural season in the Kimberley region this June. The naming ceremony will take place on Seabourn Pursuit’s […]

  • Luxury

Malolo Island Resort opens brand new Spa

Fiji’s Malolo Island has added another string to its bow – opening its $1.3 million day spa on Thursday, 18th April 2024. (Lead Image: matriarch Rosie Whitton with spa staff) Located at the edge of the resort’s luscious patch of tropical rainforest, the new “Leilani’s Spa” adds another level of elevated experiences to Malolo’s already […]