The government is now operating in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions, pending the outcome of the 2025 federal election.

THRIVE Workforce and Skills Technical Working Group

New approaches to help Australia’s tourism industry build a highly skilled workforce.

Australia’s visitor economy needs a workforce with the right skills so it can meet the needs of domestic and international visitors. The THRIVE 2030 strategy identifies workforce shortages as a barrier to industry recovery.

As an action of THRIVE 2030 Phase One, the Workforce and Skills Technical Working Group was established for a two-year term in May 2022. The aim was to identify the gaps, barriers and future needs of the visitor economy. The group’s term expired in May 2024.

Roles and responsibilities

The Workforce and Skills Technical Working Group, supported by an Austrade secretariat, provided advice from industry and government on practical immediate solutions to address workforce challenges, and support the development of the future needs of the workforce.

Download the Workforce and Skills Working Group Terms of Reference (DOCX 55.4KB).

Membership

Members represented a cross-section of industry and government expertise from the visitor economy. At the group’s completion, members were:

  • The Hon Martin Ferguson AM, former Tourism Minister and Chair of Reimagining the Visitor Economy Expert Panel
  • John Hart OAM, Executive Chair, Australian Chamber – Tourism
  • Brett Kapernick, Strategist
  • Jessica Keen, National Manager, Industry Development and Capability, Australian Tourism Export Council
  • Dr Donna Odegaard AM, Co-Chair, Indigenous Tourism Australia and First Nations Broadcasting Australia

Representatives from relevant Commonwealth agencies:

  • Miranda Lauman, Group Manager, Workforce Australia for Business Division, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
  • Michael Willard, Group Manager, Immigration Operations, Department of Home Affairs.

Representatives from state and territory governments:

  • Jonathan Kobus, Executive Branch Manager, Visit Canberra, ACT Government
  • Stephen Mahoney, Deputy CEO, Destination NSW
  • Valerie Smith, Executive Director, Industry Development, Tourism NT.

Reports

More information

Read the THRIVE 2030 strategy.

Contact us

Email VisitorEconomy@austrade.gov.au

Subscribe

Subscribe to Visitor Economy News.

Footer content