ARTICLE
Opposition Leader, Rebecca White
Tasmania’s hospitality industry is the heart of our visitor economy. Hospitality has helped showcase Tasmania to the world in a way the whole state can be proud of. Yet while unprecedented levels of industry acclaim and visitor demand are testament to the quality of service the sector is capable of, Labor has been working with industry representatives and knows that this industry faces challenges. The groundwork needed to deliver the quality hospitality experiences Tasmania is renowned for must be better supported if the industry is to continue to flourish. Labor is dedicated to working with educators, industry, local government and the community to develop a range of policies to support the advancement of the industry. I have written in this publication before about Labor’s Industry Advisory Councils (IACs) which give key industries like hospitality direct input into the development of policy and funding decisions. It has been a very productive year for our IACs. These meetings have been vital for creating a better understanding of the diverse needs of the hospitality industry. The consistent message we are hearing loud and clear is that skills and training are huge challenges for your industry. Specifically, a common complaint I hear from businesses is that our education and training system is not linked to the skills needs of industry. Labor has a clear vision to restore Drysdale as the centre of excellence for hospitality training in Tasmania. I believe passionately in the importance of public training providers like Drysdale and TasTafe to give our young people the skills they need to get secure, well-paid jobs. Sadly, Drysdale’s reputation has suffered as a result of underinvestment and a disconnect with the needs of industry. The longevity of a thriving tourism and hospitality industry relies upon skilled local workers and Drysdale should be over-flowing with
Tasmanian students being trained for careers in hospitality. Instead, we know that Tasmania needs up to 10,000 more tourism and hospitality workers to service the industries within the next decade alone, and a recently leaked report from consultancy firm KPMG casts doubt on the ability of Drysdale to deliver them. Of the 434 people who started a hospitality course at TasTAFE in 2018, just over 200 completed that course. The failure to invest in training the state's tourism and hospitality industry is hampering its growth – and while local jobseekers miss out on the work they deserve to be trained for, a shortage of trained staff is forcing businesses to look interstate. This is not good enough. That’s why earlier this year Tasmanian Labor announced free hospitality courses at TasTAFE to create jobs and give businesses a much needed boost. Another finding from the KPMG report suggested TasTAFE red tape was hindering Drysdale's ability to respond to the fast-changing industry. Tourism and hospitality bodies have been pushing for Drysdale to be separated from TasTAFE for several years. Labor supports the calls to establish a separate, public hospitality training organisation. Staff numbers and working conditions must be protected in any future move. As we approach the end of 2019 I want to wish you and your staff a happy and prosperous Christmas and New Year period. I know from my own family’s involvement in hospitality how hectic the busy summer period can get. I hope that in amongst the rush, you get to enjoy some time with family and friends and enjoy what makes Tasmania so special. Labor looks forward to continuing its work to grow jobs and support a hospitality sector that stands to benefit Tasmanian communities across the state in 2020 and beyond.
For the Community. With the Community.
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December 2019 www.tha.asn.au
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