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 identified workforce shortages as a great barrier to industry recovery. To overcome this, governments and industry will work together towards building a workforce that is:
- resilient
- flexible
- innovative
- world-class.
Roles and responsibilities
The Workforce and Skills Working Group will support Austrade to identify new mechanisms and improvements to existing programs and activities. This is to attract, train, and retain a world-class visitor economy workforce. The group will provide advice from industry and government to:
- increase workforce participation
- improve workforce capability
- champion the visitor economy as a career of choice
- inform the long-term visitor economy workforce strategy.
An Austrade secretariat will support the working group.
Download the Workforce and Skills Working Group Terms of Reference (DOCX 55.4KB).
Membership
Membership is a cross-section of industry and government expertise from the visitor economy. Members were selected for their industry expertise. They are based across Australia:
- 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 are:
- Carl Binning, Group Manager, Economic Policy and Programs Group, National Indigenous Australians Agency
- 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 are:
- Jonathan Kobus, Executive Branch Manager, Visit Canberra, ACT Government
- Stephen Mahoney, Deputy CEO, Destination NSW
- Valerie Smith, Executive Director, Industry Development, Tourism NT.
Meeting outcomes and reports
Reports
Workforce and Skills Technical Working Group 12-month Status Report (DOCX 934 KB)
Meeting outcomes
More information
Read the THRIVE 2030 strategy
Contact us
Email VisitorEconomy@austrade.gov.au
Subscribe
Subscribe to Visitor Economy News.