Lee vows to point finger

Lee vows to point finger
By admin


Regional MP’s who vote to increase the Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) on Monday will be held to account by the industry with the Tourism and Transport Forum vowing to expose them to their constituents.

TTF managing director John Lee said he will use “every radio station and every regional newspaper around the country” to tell voters that their local politician “voted against jobs and voted against tourism”.

The Northern Territory, already “severely impacted” by the tourism decline, will be a particular target, Lee said

“We’ll target individual members of Parliament and make it known in each of their seats that they have made the issue worse by voting for the increase,” Lee told Travel Today.

The TTF has estimated the increase in the tax will threaten the viability of many businesses and cost 10,000 regional jobs.

Lee, who along with other industry groups will continue lobbying until the last possible moment on Monday, said there had been “movement” in the backbench of the coalition, while some regional MPs are “nervous” about the decline in leisure tourism.

“This could result in a wipeout of jobs in regional Australia and we have communicated that to MPs in regional areas,” he said.Lee added that while the manufacturing industry was handed a “turbo-charge” by way of "real funding” in the budget, the “hand break” was applied to a tourism industry already in deficit.

“We were handed a paltry $61 million,” Lee said. “The PMC already over collects passenger facilitation costs by $400 million and by 2015 that will rise to more than $1 billion.”

Flight Centre managing director Graham Turner, quoted in today’s Australian Financial Review, said he has not seen anti-government campaign like it in the tourism sector.

“I actually didn’t think the ads we took out were that brilliant,” he said. “But the reality is everyone feels frustrated because no one is listening.”

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest News

  • Aviation

Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

  • Attractions

SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

  • Cruise

Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

  • Technology
  • Travel Agents

Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]