Australia’s Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, delivered the latest Budget last night, predicated on the assumption that Australia’s international borders will remain closed until at least mid-2022.
Delivering the Budget to Parliament, the Treasurer made mention of “… an additional $2.1 billion funding for tourism, the arts and entertainment and aviation”.
However, the ABC’s Georgia Hitch has compiled an at-a-glance “Federal Budget 2021: Winners and Losers” which clearly shows tourism is a loser in the 2021 Budget.
When the last budget was handed down in October, the government assumed that international borders would begin to gradually reopen towards the end of this year.
But given the issues with the vaccine rollout and ongoing international outbreaks, the government’s now saying the border won’t open until at least mid-2022.
That’s bad news for tourism operators who rely on international visitors.
While the government announced just under $60 million in last year’s budget to help some of these businesses diversify their markets, there’s little extra support this year.
Instead, the government is extending its zoo and aquarium support package and extra money for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Read the article HERE
Additionally, the Budget has committed to “…providing Small business with peace of mind that an independent umpire will stand between them and the ATO for debt recovery action,” the Treasurer said.
Other spending covers a “…double commitment to the JobTrainer Fund … $2.7 billion creating 170,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships … helping more women break into non traditional trades with 5,000 more places … providing another 5,000 in higher education short courses.”
Extended support for mental health comes with a $2.3 billion commitment to mental health and suicide prevention … and greater access to psychiatrists, psychologists and GPs through Medicare.
