Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford says trying to fill jobs in the industry right now is "diabolical", and the NT Government's tourism spend is not enough to help

Transcript

Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford says trying to fill jobs in the industry right now is "diabolical", and the NT Government's tourism spend is not enough to help · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But yesterday we did hear that there is going to
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: be an investment of eighty six point four million dollars
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: in the tourism and events sector over the next twelve months.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: There will be an extra fourteen point two million dollars.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: It's been earmarked for tourism and marketing and advertising, including
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  Speaker 1: one point three million dollars to attract and retain workers
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: for the tourism industry and two million dollars to open
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: a third round of grants programs supporting roadhouse developments. Now
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  Speaker 1: joining me on the line is the CEO of Tourism
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  Speaker 1: Central Australia, Daniel Rochford. Good morning to you, Good.
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  Speaker 2: Morning Katie, good morning to your listeners, and a happy
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: budget date.
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  Speaker 1: I've been saying that all morning. Nobody else seems to.
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  Speaker 3: Be that excited about it.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel, but will wait and see. Yeah, now, mate, House,
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  Speaker 1: the industry reacted to yesterday's budget announcement.
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  Speaker 2: Look, the news of increase funding for tourism, marketing and
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  Speaker 2: support is all is warmly welcomed. We're very excited by
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: this obviously, as you know, we're coming off the back
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  Speaker 2: of two years of disastrous period for our industry, so
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  Speaker 2: we need our government more than ever now to be
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  Speaker 2: investing in our sector, to be rolling up the sleeves
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  Speaker 2: and getting the message out there of coming to the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory and encouraging our visitors to do that. So
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  Speaker 2: that's warmly received. But you've touched on one of the
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  Speaker 2: key points, which is around attracting stuff. That's our biggest
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  Speaker 2: issue at the moment. We've gone from one issue to another.
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  Speaker 2: We've got a massive skill shortage in our sector right
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  Speaker 2: across the Northern Territory. Members are saying to me almost
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  Speaker 2: daily that they're really just cannot get staff and we
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  Speaker 2: really need government now to really focus their attention on
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  Speaker 2: that issue.
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  Speaker 1: How difficult is it right now to fill various jobs,
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  Speaker 1: particularly in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 2: It's diabolical and operators are just exacerbated of being able
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  Speaker 2: to fix the issues. So, you know, we need to
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  Speaker 2: do some unique initiatives and you know the government's already
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  Speaker 2: done that through the work that they're doing to encourage
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  Speaker 2: working holiday makers. But you know, programs like what South
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  Speaker 2: Australia has done with the ten pound palm. We also
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: need to look at trying to encourage the Gray Army
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  Speaker 2: to come to the Northern territory. You know, Tasmania has
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  Speaker 2: done a great job in the last few weeks and
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  Speaker 2: months to encourage pensioners and retirees to come to Tasmania
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  Speaker 2: to work. These are things that we just need to
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  Speaker 2: do collectively to try and fix the issue, because there
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  Speaker 2: is no one single answer when it comes to labor shortages.
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  Speaker 2: But what it is is a critical issue because one
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  Speaker 2: of the things the Chief Minister will talk about it,
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  Speaker 2: I'm sure during the budget is the economic recovery of
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory. If we don't have labor, if we
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  Speaker 2: don't have the supply side dealt with, we're not going
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  Speaker 2: to see that money roll through into the territory. And
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  Speaker 2: this is a big issue for not just the tourism
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  Speaker 2: sector but also our farmers and other sectors who are
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  Speaker 2: crying out for labor at this time.
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  Speaker 1: That is such an important point, and you know, it's
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  Speaker 1: one I think which gets lost a little bit is
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  Speaker 1: that we're talking about growing the economy. We're talking about
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  Speaker 1: doing various different things to boost the population, but right
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  Speaker 1: now we're not even able to fill the jobs that
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  Speaker 1: we've got. Yeah, look, this.
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  Speaker 2: Is as low hanging fruit as economic development comes. You know,
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  Speaker 2: I've said publicly I think we need it up to
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  Speaker 2: a thousand employees here in Central Australia. I haven't tested
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  Speaker 2: that figure recently, but you know it's probably not too
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  Speaker 2: far away from that still. So you know, if you
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  Speaker 2: had five hundred to one thousand people come into the
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  Speaker 2: Central Australian economy, this is a huge boost. That's a mine. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: equivalent to a mind Katie. So you know, this is
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  Speaker 2: a huge opportunity for us to be and really critical
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  Speaker 2: for us to be proactive. The government's done a great
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  Speaker 2: job keeping a safe during the pandemic, but now the
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  Speaker 2: responsibilities to industry to build back that economic recovery for
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  Speaker 2: the territory in we're going to need support from our
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  Speaker 2: government to overcome some of these supply issues and worker
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  Speaker 2: we're getting access to workers is our number one And.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel, when you talk about I mean when we look
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  Speaker 1: at that budget that was announced yesterday, or the tourism
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  Speaker 1: spend that was announced yesterday a little bit more closely so,
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  Speaker 1: one point three million dollars allocated to attracting and retaining
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  Speaker 1: the tourism workforce. Is that enough money?
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  Speaker 2: No? I don't think so. I think Look it's great
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  Speaker 2: and it's warmly welcome. We've been saying talking about this
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  Speaker 2: for some months now and I think that's one disappointment
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  Speaker 2: I have with this budget already is that I think
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  Speaker 2: there needs to be more money invested in worker attraction.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we need you know, we need access. And
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  Speaker 2: it's not just the tourism industry, as I said, the
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  Speaker 2: agricultural sectors in the same boat. We need support and
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  Speaker 2: we need active money here to be competitive. Everyone's got
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  Speaker 2: labor shortages right across the country. I've just come back
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  Speaker 2: from for a holiday in the UK and signed up
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  Speaker 2: everywhere saying, you know, we need workers. It's not just
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  Speaker 2: a Central Australian or a Northern territory issue. We're in
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  Speaker 2: a global marketplace here trying to get staff. So we
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  Speaker 2: need more than ever support from our government to roll
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  Speaker 2: up the slaves and be as proactive as we can.
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  Speaker 2: And as I said earlier, there's not just one answer
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  Speaker 2: to this problem. We've got to do multiple things now
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  Speaker 2: to try and alleviate the issue.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and you said before that you know it's a
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  Speaker 1: diabolical situation around the territory at the moment, or particularly
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  Speaker 1: for you guys in Central Australia. When it comes to
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  Speaker 1: filling some of these jobs and that we've got to
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  Speaker 1: be looking at some different initiatives. I know that the
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  Speaker 1: Tourist Minister had said yesterday on the show that there
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  Speaker 1: are some initiatives. I can't remember if it's the Workstay
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  Speaker 1: play or exactly what the initiatives were, but you know
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  Speaker 1: what exactly are we sort of enticing people to come
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  Speaker 1: to the territory with.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's the critical issue is that you know
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  Speaker 2: where you know, other jurisdictions are really rolling up the sleeve.
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  Speaker 2: We do have a good initiative on a couple of
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  Speaker 2: good initiatives on the table at the moment, and getos
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  Speaker 2: to the government for that support, you know, encouraging working
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  Speaker 2: holiday because to come here and the government's putting on
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: table some travel credits to injure the allow them to
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  Speaker 2: enjoy their stay in the Northern territory. But when you
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  Speaker 2: compare that to say.
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  Speaker 3: The initiative that's been put forward by the South Australian
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  Speaker 3: government of the ten pound air travel, you know we're
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  Speaker 3: going to we're going to have some challenge there because
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  Speaker 3: people are going to probably most likely choose South Australia.
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  Speaker 2: Over the North.
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  Speaker 1: So what exactly are they doing, INSI Daniel, what are
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  Speaker 1: they doing in South Australia.
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  Speaker 3: So they put on.
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  Speaker 2: The table essentially, you know, the old ten pound palm
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  Speaker 2: strategy that was rolled out in the nineteen fifties. They're
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  Speaker 2: essentially subsidizing air travel to South Australia and it's costing
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: the person in the UK ten pounds to come to
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  Speaker 2: Adelaide to work. The initiative there to encourage two hundred
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  Speaker 2: workers to work in the tourism industry to get them
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: into South Australia.
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  Speaker 1: You think, why aren't we doing something like that?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, especially considering that we've got the Quanti slight so
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  Speaker 2: albeit for much longer, you know, we've probably missed an
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  Speaker 2: opportunity there. But that said, you know, there's still opportunities
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: to be more proactive in this space. And at the
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  Speaker 2: end of the day, the government's doing a lot of
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  Speaker 2: work on this and we welcome that, but I think
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  Speaker 2: there needs to be more needs needs to be more
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  Speaker 2: done in this area because we're not alleviating the issue
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  Speaker 2: and the issue is still.
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  Speaker 1: Were ever present well, and the point that you make
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  Speaker 1: as well about you know, the volume of workers coming
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  Speaker 1: into the Northern Territory to fill that critical workforce shortage.
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  Speaker 1: The numbers that you're talking, like you said, when you're
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  Speaker 1: comparing it to a major project, it's a huge number
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  Speaker 1: of people that we actually need to come and do
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  Speaker 1: these jobs. And then if they're spending their money here,
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  Speaker 1: they're living here, they're part of the Northern Territory, it
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  Speaker 1: can hopefully only be a good thing.
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  Speaker 2: Well, to quote the Deputy Chief Minister, this is jobs, jobs, jobs,
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  Speaker 2: and you know we've got jobs, jobs, jobs galore in
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  Speaker 2: the tourism and hospitality sector in the Northern Territory. And
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  Speaker 2: as I said, if that was a mine, the government
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  Speaker 2: would be rolling out the red carpet and looking at
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: greater levels of incentives and support. But you know, we
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  Speaker 2: do need our support from our government at this time.
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  Speaker 2: This is a huge opportunity for us to really drive
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory economy and I think we all agree
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  Speaker 2: as we come out of the pandemic, we want to
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  Speaker 2: see our economy fire and we do have to overcome
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  Speaker 2: some of the supply side issues and if we can
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  Speaker 2: work together, you know, I think we'll certainly see what
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  Speaker 2: some of those projections that the Chief Minister's talking about
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  Speaker 2: in his budget today.
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  Speaker 1: Come to fruition well, Daniel, before I let you go,
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  Speaker 1: one point nine million dollars to support the implementation of
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  Speaker 1: the nt Bridge Tourism strategy. Is this going to benefit
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  Speaker 1: the Central Australia region in some way?
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  Speaker 2: Oh very much so. And again curtos to the government
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  Speaker 2: for putting the money on the table. You know, there's
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  Speaker 2: a variety of different initiatives that they're working with the
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  Speaker 2: regional tourism organizations already on which is great and you know,
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  Speaker 2: especially as we start to see international tourism or rebound,
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  Speaker 2: to be able to showcase our indigenous tourism experiences is
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  Speaker 2: absolutely critical. So it is very important money at this time,
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  Speaker 2: as is the marketing funds. It is about competitive space
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  Speaker 2: out there. There's every jurisdiction around the world is putting
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  Speaker 2: their best foot forward and we need more, now more
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  Speaker 2: than ever, our support from Tourism Northern Territory to do
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  Speaker 2: the same and this extra funding allows them.
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  Speaker 3: To do that.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Daniel Rochford, the CEO of Tourism Central Australia, it's
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: always good to catch up with you. Thanks so much
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  Speaker 1: for your time today.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie che Thank you