Mrs BRAHAM - 2005-08-17
Can you confirm whether the Northern Territory Tourist Commission has been amalgamated under the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development? If so, how will the commission answer to two ministers: the Chief Minister as the Minister for Tourism, and you as the minister for this department? What effect will this have on the autonomy of the commission? Were key industry stakeholders consulted in this move?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Braitling for her question. These are exciting times for the Tourist Commission and it is great to see that we are having a bumper tourism season at the moment. I can advise the member that the Tourist Commission still exists. The legislation is still in place. The rationale from the Chief Minister in bringing the Tourist Commission in under the umbrella of the new Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development was to acknowledge, at a government level, and try and have better working relationships between the main economic driving department of the government and the Tourist Commission. As people in the tourism industry say, tourism is everybody’s business. It is certainly is a vital part of the economy.
The government is trying to build stronger regions to get better economic outcomes in the regions to develop better tourism products in the region. We are doing this by bringing the Tourist Commission in under the umbrella of the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development, which will allow a much closer working relationship between the Destination Development Unit in the Tourist Commission and the people who are responsible in the department for regional development; in particular, regional economical development.
It is a structural issue. It is about trying to get better outcomes, particularly in developing opportunities for tourism in the regions. It is a structural relationship. The Tourist Commission will still report to the Chief Minister as the Minister for Tourism, and I have carriage of the rest of the portfolio.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Braitling for her question. These are exciting times for the Tourist Commission and it is great to see that we are having a bumper tourism season at the moment. I can advise the member that the Tourist Commission still exists. The legislation is still in place. The rationale from the Chief Minister in bringing the Tourist Commission in under the umbrella of the new Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development was to acknowledge, at a government level, and try and have better working relationships between the main economic driving department of the government and the Tourist Commission. As people in the tourism industry say, tourism is everybody’s business. It is certainly is a vital part of the economy.
The government is trying to build stronger regions to get better economic outcomes in the regions to develop better tourism products in the region. We are doing this by bringing the Tourist Commission in under the umbrella of the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development, which will allow a much closer working relationship between the Destination Development Unit in the Tourist Commission and the people who are responsible in the department for regional development; in particular, regional economical development.
It is a structural issue. It is about trying to get better outcomes, particularly in developing opportunities for tourism in the regions. It is a structural relationship. The Tourist Commission will still report to the Chief Minister as the Minister for Tourism, and I have carriage of the rest of the portfolio.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016