Shadow Minister Media Releases
ohn O'Neill Report Into Tourism Scathing Of NSW Government ( 11/06/2008)
“It is little wonder the Government has withheld the John O’Neill Report into NSW Tourism for more than six months,” Shadow Minister for Tourism, Don Page said today.
The Report is highly critical of the NSW State Government, whose neglect of the tourism industry in NSW has led to $3.5billion in lost revenue.
“This is a huge economic lost opportunity for jobs growth and infrastructure investment in the tourism industry over the past 8 years,” Mr Page said.
“This is the cost of such an incompetent Government. It’s little wonder they have been trying to hide this report for so long.”
The Report has led to the Government announcing an extra $40million to be spent on tourism over the next three years.
“The Government has been shamed into increasing its Tourism budget by the O’Neill Report,” he said.
“But $40million over three years is still well short of the recommendation made by last years Tourism Business Alliance Report.
“The TBA recommended that the Tourism marketing budget in NSW needs to be increased by $20million a year, on an ongoing basis to get the industry back on its feet,” Mr Page said.
“Worse than the shameful neglect and inaction of the NSW Government is the cutting of the tourism promotion budget by 11% since the Sydney Olympics.
“While other States have been increasing their tourism budgets and their market share, tourism operators in NSW have been suffering a major downturn in visitor numbers.
“The State Labor Government have been asleep at the wheel since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This has led to a major downturn in visitor numbers, the likes of which has never before been experienced by a city after hosting an Olympic Games.
“I have little confidence in the Labor Government actually fulfilling the recommendations in the O’Neill Report.
“The recommendation for a fast train between Sydney and Newcastle was promised by the Labor Government back in 1998. But like so many other Labor promises, 10 years later there is still no sign of it coming to fruition.
“The State Labor Government should hang its head in shame for so many years of neglect of the NSW tourism industry,” Mr Page said.
