News & Announcements

There is a lot of information available about the various government support measures for businesses. We have listed just a few of the most helpful links for you below. They may help clarify some questions about the details of the JobSeeker allowance as well as state and federal loan facilities. For employers, an important aspect of the legislation passed in federal parliament is the temporary flexibility in relation to the Fair Work Act. This is an issue QTIC has advocated for strongly and in a phone conference yesterday, Minister Michaelia Cash confirmed some of the provisions that allow for flexibility on hours worked, pay rates and leave arrangements, during the current situation. It still protects employees from exploitation, as it should, but brings some commonsense into play.

It will be an Easter like no other and, from a tourism industry perspective at least, not in a good way. I sincerely hope that you can all experience some positive consequences of this situation, perhaps a more quiet time shared with family, getting things done around the house and other simple pleasures. From all of us here at QTIC, we do wish you a peaceful Easter with a strong sense of optimism about the future. All of us, I am sure, will be more determined than ever to work together, work with a strong sense of purpose and a clear sense of what is actually important. As an organisation, QTIC will do what it can to contribute and work for a strong tourism future.

Perhaps Easter is a good starting point for a brighter future, considering that it marks the (Northern hemisphere) spring equinox, a day where the amount of dark and the amount of daylight is exactly identical. Since ancient pagan times, this has told humanity that we're emerging from winter because the daylight and the dark have come back into balance. Good enough for me – even if we have to adapt it slightly for the Southern hemisphere…..

Happy Easter and beyond!

Daniel Gschwind
QTIC Chief Executive

Australia’s aviation market and the future of the tourism industry

Today we wrote to PM Scott Morrison asking for critical help for our aviation industry.

You can read the full letter below. 


 

 Banking Assistance Available 

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With the industry welcoming the wage subsidy solution that we have sought from the Commonwealth Government, many operators are not in a position to come up with the cash to pay wages until May when the federal funding arrives.  We have sought advice directly from the Australian Banking Association and Anna Bligh.  An announcement was made today and we received this information.

Australia’s banks are indicating that they are supporting the JobKeeper program (updated fact sheet), while employees wait for the scheme to make the first payments,  Businesses may be able to use the upcoming JobKeeper program payment as a basis to seek credit in order to pay their employees until the first payment is made. 

The tourism industry, like the rest of the community, is facing exceptionally difficult times due to the impact of COVID-19. In the face of overwhelming adversity, the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) is fast-tracking the launch of a Micro-Credentialing program, which will provide skilling solutions for immediate benefit to tourism and hospitality businesses and their employees.

The Minister for Employment, Small Business and Training has been very supportive of this initiative and has put the financial support of her department behind it. We appreciate the ongoing partnership with the Queensland Government in this program and more generally, especially at this time. To find out how your business and your employees can become involved in this opportunity, please click here and fill out the form to express your interest.

The tourism industry, like the rest of the community, is facing exceptionally difficult times due to the impact of COVID-19. In the face of overwhelming adversity, the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) is fast-tracking the launch of a Micro-Credentialing program, which will provide skilling solutions for immediate benefit to tourism and hospitality businesses and their employees.

QTIC Chief Executive, Daniel Gschwind, “Our industry is always exposed to intense global competitive pressure and the current crisis is leaving operators with few means to improve their situation with their own resources.

“This program, delivered free-of-charge, is a unique opportunity to prepare for a strong recovery during this down-time.

With new announcements by both Queensland and Commonwealth Governments, QTIC is racing to seek clarity on a number of issues:

The very welcomed JobKeeper payment is challenging for many operators who do not have the cash to make wage payments until the government refunds kick in in May. The advice in the media this morning from Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Michaelia Cash, that businesses should get an interest-free loan from their bank in the meantime, is not proving to be a viable option for many. We are seeking information from the Australian Banking Association. We are also preparing some practical accounting and HR advice for operators who are signing up to the JobKeeper payment.

There is still some confusion around the issue of accommodating international visitors, including backpackers and also people in camper vans. The basic message is categorically clear: Queensland residents cannot take a holiday. Non-resident visitors can be accommodated but have to adhere to all the relevant social distancing rules and other official health directives. So, accommodation providers cannot promote ‘self-isolation packages’ to Queenslanders.  We are seeking clear information material from the Queensland Government for international visitors (preferable in multiple languages) and for accommodation providers who are still open for non-resident visitors.

The COVID-19 situation is generating more news than just about any event in history and it also has given rise to information overload for all of us. QTIC does not want to contribute to this unnecessarily, we know you have enough on your plate at the moment. However, we will continue to point you in the right direction for authoritative information relevant to our industry and we will keep you updated on our own activities and advocacy on your behalf.

Today’s announcement by the Prime Minister marks an important next step in keeping businesses afloat and employees engaged. QTIC has been advocating for a wage-subsidy approach in preference to the welfare approach taken to date.  This issue was raised by us with both the State and Commonwealth Treasurers. Late last week QTIC was invited to join the State Treasurer and Minister for Employment, Small Business and Training in a newly formed Workers and Industry Support Fund Taskforce where a strong consensus was formed on this.

New Announcement: The latest Commonwealth Government measures were announced this afternoon by the Prime Minister. It includes some new provisions for all international arrivals, including Australians returning,  who will have to be quarantined in (hotel) accommodation rather than home. State and Territory governments are working with regional tourism organisations to source accommodation. Information for hotels and hotel staff Below are the links to the most relevant information for business and income support, both Commonwealth and State.