13 September ATIA Advocacy - September September 13, 2023 By AFTA Admin General 0 This month we have continued to be active in discussions with political leaders in Canberra to progress key member priorities. Since the last update we have met with over 13 key Ministers, including the Prime Minister, as well as over 10 Shadow Ministers and Members of Parliament. Discusses covered a lot of ground, ranging from the economic importance of the travel industry, aviation competition policy in general and specifically the Qatar decision, as well as employment, skills and training, and industrial relations changes. The rebranding to ATIA has already proven to be beneficial from a political perspective, leading to a clearer understanding of our membership base and a keenness to engage in discussions around the importance of travel. Aviation competition Policy With a spotlight on competition in the aviation sector, we recently hosted travel and tourism industry stakeholders to hear from the Assistant Minister for Competition at the National Press Club. It’s great to see that the recently announced Competition Policy Review will include the competitiveness of Australia’s aviation sector. We’re looking forward to contributing to that review and highlighting the benefits a competitive aviation sector brings. In relation to the Qatar air rights issue, we met with Minister King in mid-August to advance our case about the crucial importance of competition. Interestingly, following the ongoing heat on Minister King’s decision, last week the Federal Opposition secured sufficient support in the Senate to set up an Inquiry into all Federal Government decisions relating to proposals for additional services to Australia’s major airports in the past 12 months. ATIA will be engaging with this Inquiry and will keep members updated. The Aviation Green Paper has also been released, marking an important step towards setting the policy direction for the aviation sector out to 2050. ATIA is engaging with key stakeholders and will participate in the submission process. Employment, Skills and Training ATIA was recently appointed as a member of SkillsEQuipped, the recently established Jobs and Skills Council funded by the Federal Government to support industry engagement in relation to skills and training issues. We’ll be representing ATIA members as SkillsEQuipped works towards developing a workforce plan for the travel and tourism sector and reviews VET training products to ensure they meet the changing needs of the industry. We also recently hosted a meeting of ATIA’s National Taskforce for Skills and Careers where we discussed current workforce issues as well as opportunities to provide input to Government and pursue priorities for the industry. Real insights from industry are invaluable when engaging with government about the needs of the sector. Industrial Relations Last week the Federal Government introduced the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023. This covers a range of reform areas, including criminalising deliberate wage underpayments, changing the definition and arrangements for casual employees, and a re-examination of the independent contractor arrangements. We are monitoring the impacts on members and advocating to support member interests as debate on the Bill continues. Related Articles Travel has a new home – the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) The Australian Travel Industry has a new peak industry body representing travel agents and advisors, tour operators, consolidators and wholesalers replacing the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) effective today. ATIA Advocacy - October It’s been a big month in advocacy, with the Senate Select Committee’s swift Inquiry into Bilateral Air Service Agreements both commencing and being finalised since the last newsletter! Dean and Ingrid have also been in Canberra, having met with key Ministers and Departments about progressing recommendations in Bilateral Air Services Report, priorities for the Aviation White Paper, as well as skills and training issues. ATIA Advocacy - November Approaching the end of the year, ATIA have made three key submissions, with more to come before we close out the year, to ensure member priorities are advanced. ATIA Canberra-bound in strong support for Australian Travel With Parliament sitting again this week, The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) is Canberra-bound to lobby across a number of key areas for its members and the future success of the Australian travel industry. ATIA unveils NTIA 2023 nominees and opens voting process The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) is excited to announce and congratulations the nominees of the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) 2023. ATIA tells Senate inquiry a revolution is needed With international fares from Sydney in 2023 up to 99% higher than pre-COVID, and a lack of competition and capacity, the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has told the Senate Committee Inquiry into Bilateral Air Service Agreements a revolution rather than a recalibration of Australia’s aviation industry is needed to ensure consumers are better supported. Showing 0 Comment Comments are closed.