Gov't turns back on tourism industry

Date: 03 October 2001

The Federal Minster for Tourism should resign after her failure to acknowledge the crisis engulfing Australia's tourism industry, according to the Australian Services Union.

ASU Branch Secretary Julie Bignell said Jackie Kelly's comments today regarding Australia's tourism industry revealed a minister way out of touch with her portfolio and her constituents.

"Jackie Kelly has once again shown her inability to grasp the severity of the Ansett collapse and the impact of international terrorism on our tourist market," Ms Bignell said.

"Her comments today reveal a federal government minister who is completely out of touch; she should resign," she said.

"Jackie Kelly doesn't seem to be on the same planet as the rest of us; the crisis facing our tourism industry is plainly obvious to everyone but her," she said.

Ms Bignell said the collapse of Ansett had combined with international events to create a severe downturn in the tourism industry. She said Ms Kelly's refusal to concede the significance of the tourism industry's problems was inconsistent with views of industry analysts.

"Most analysts are suggesting the long-term prospects of the tourism industry are bleak as a result of Ansett's collapse, CHOGM's postponement and the impact of the US terrorist attacks," she said.

"The cost in lost tourism revenue for the Gold Coast could be as high as $175 million per year, which does not include the flow-on effects on the economy of job losses," she said.

"Anyone who claims otherwise is off with the fairies," she said.

Jackie Kelly has today reportedly said: "In the pilot's strike we had three month's without Ansett and Qantas, that was a crisis, we aren't there yet," and refused to concede the tourism industry's problems were at a crisis point.

For further information

Contact:	Matthew Collins
Union:	ASU Services
Contact Mobile:	0405 188 256
Email:	communications@qld.asu.asn.au
WWW:	http://www.qld.asu.asn.au

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