ATIC welcomes JobKeeper payment scheme

April 9, 2020

The Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) has thanked the Australian Parliament for passing the $130 billion JobKeeper payment scheme.

ATIC notes that while the Tourism Industry has highlighted the issue of a large casualised and seasonal workforce which help deliver Australia’s global leading tourism product, and one that includes many workers with temporary visa status, this is clearly an unprecedented package that’s right for the times.

ATIC notes that “the JobKeeper scheme will provide much needed support to hundreds of thousands of tourism enterprises and their permanent workforce as the industry collectively faces the darkest of times.”

ATIC represents thousands of local tourism enterprises, where a feature of the industry is over 90% of 300,000 still registered tourism businesses are small to medium enterprises and sole traders that collectively employed 1 million people prior to the COVID-19 crisis.

ATIC Executive Director Simon Westaway said the JobKeeper payment scheme is a lifeline and offers real hope to Australian tourism enterprises for them to stay resilient, stay sustainable and be able to look to a future recovery.

Westaway added “JobKeeper can help preserve the productive capacity of Australian tourism enterprises. And what will truly do so is our country soon getting on top of COVID-19.

“We naturally urge the Federal bureaucracy to efficiently meet the first scheduled payments to eligible businesses designed to keep their people during the first week of May.”

Westaway urged eligible Australian tourism businesses and associated not for profit organisations within the visitor economy to apply for the payment online and if able to register their interest to do so via ato.gov.au

Image: Noosa Beach on the Sunshine Coast

7th April 2020 - Popular Gold Coast beaches to be closed after Coronavirus rules ignored

6th April 2020 - Online conference to address tourism challenges through Coronavirus pandemic

2nd April 2020 - NSW Coronavirus lockdown to last 90 days

31st March 2020 - ATIC supports $130 billion JobKeeper package

25th March 2020 - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces new measures aimed at slowing spread of Coronavirus

23rd March 2020 - Prime Minister Morrison announces new social restrictions to prevent Coronavirus spread that will last for months

23rd March 2020 - Australian Government announces enhanced $66 billion Coronavirus stimulus package

20th March 2020 - Australian tourism sector losing $3 billion a month as travel restrictions bite

17th March 2020 - Coronavirus impact puts up to 50 million jobs at risk across global tourism

13th March 2020 - Tourism Industry body welcomes Federal Government’s Coronavirus stimulus

13th February 2020 - ATIC calls for government support to counter coronavirus impact on tourism industry

16th January 2020 - ATIC calls for Government support to sustain Australian tourism’s ‘open for business’ mantra

6th April 2016 - ATEC launches new program to boost inbound tourism

Asking a small favour
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

The news we publish at www.ausleisure.com.au is independent, credible (we hope) and free for you to access, with no pay walls and no annoying pop-up ads.

However, as an independent publisher, can we ask for you to support us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine - if you don't already do so.

Published bi-monthly since 1997, the printed Australasian Leisure Management differs from this website in that it publishes longer, in-depth and analytical features covering aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues management.

Subscriptions cost just $90 a year.

Click here to subscribe.