REBECCA WHITE Labor Leader, Shadow Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events Opposition Report
our community has of jobs in the hospitality industry. There is such a variety of work available in the hospitality sector and we can work collectively to educate people that it is more than pouring a beer or clearing a table. The pathway to employment for many in the industry is through the VET sector and there has been a lot of focus on TasTAFE over the past 12 months for all the wrong reasons. Tasmanians still respect and value the public provision of skills and training and TasTAFE has a long history of producing quality outcomes. Labor believes this is worth keeping. Labor recognises that there is still a solid foundation within TasTAFE to build upon and we are passionate about ensuring TasTAFE is the best it possibly can be. To achieve that government must work with staff and students to restore confidence inside the organisation and promote a positive culture. TasTAFE has to be repositioned as a world class institution, so that Tasmanians have access to high quality, publicly provided skills and training, especially those in the hospitality and tourism sector. We have a world class training facility in Drysdale but it’s essential that it is able to offer the types of courses that will lead to genuine and meaningful careers – and equip students with the skills and training that industry is looking for. Industry itself must have a greater say in the substance of courses that are offered to Tasmanian students and I encourage government to join with industry so they can have greater involvement. Another challenge created by rapid growth of the tourism and hospitality industries is the lack of accommodation, which is being filled by the sharing economy. The THA has been a strong and consistent voice for common-sense regulation of platforms like Air BnB and Stayz The hyper deregulated sharing economy is not only bad for locals, for the regulated bed and breakfast operators but also bad for maintaining local support for tourism growth. We don’t want Tasmanians to resent the growth in visitation and the pressure this is placing on the ability of their family and friends to secure housing. There is no doubt in Labor’s mind that the government needs to regulate the sharing economy. That is why we were pleased to support the establishment of a Parliamentary inquiry into the impacts of the sharing economy on housing affordability and availability. We look forward to engaging with the THA on this important issue.
I am thrilled to have taken on the portfolio responsibilities for Tourism, Hospitality and Events following the election earlier this year. I respect my role as Leader of the Labor party also gives me the opportunity to act as a brand ambassador for our state on every stage I have the privilege to stand upon. It is for this reason I wanted to take on this portfolio as part of the responsibilities I have in the Shadow Cabinet. I’m a proud Tasmanian and I want to tell everyone I know to come and visit us and experience our hospitality. Tasmania is enjoying an exciting time right now, with major events, quality products and a low Australian dollar bringing more people to our state. The dispersal of these visitors is improving and the uplift from increased visitation is being felt more evenly across the state. This is good news for small operators and our regional communities right across Tasmania but it also reminds us that we need to constantly focus on good customer service and quality experiences in order to maintain our good reputation. The THA is to be congratulated for its Great Customer Experience program which is ensuring we are a world leader in offering the best in service. I encourage venues throughout the state to get on board the program which can provide feedback about your social media profile, identify where the THA can provide skills training to help lift standards with your staff and identify where you might improve your venue so it can be the best it can be. As someone who worked in the hospitality industry for many years I appreciate the value of good customer service skills. They are skills that are transferable across professions and I have always been grateful for my grounding in hospitality which helped teach me good communication skills, good listening skills and an awareness of others so that I could react quickly to meet their need or even pre-empt it. Like many, I worked in hospitality to help pay my way through University but I am acutely aware that we need to re-shape the narrative around jobs in hospitality to promote careers in the industry and bust the myth that it is just seasonal work. This is an approach that I am very supportive of for a number of reasons. It is good for employers because it ensures the training investment they have made and corporate knowledge gained by their staff members is not lost when the employee leaves the establishment. It is good for the employee because it means they have a career pathway that gives them certainty of employment and surety of income. It is good for the industry because it improves the quality of the service offering as more experienced workers remain engaged and also help pass on their skills and knowledge to the next generation. The work that is happening in schools by the THA to promote careers in hospitality is a good way to help change the perception
June 2018 www.tha.asn.au
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