Shadow Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo has advised herVoice of an issue of serious concern to Australia’s tourism industry, which has already been hard hit by the economic downturn. Tourism Australia’s CEO left in June – and $40,000 of taxpayers’ money has already been paid over the past nine months to global consultancy Spencer Stuart to locate his replacement.
A quick search of Hansard by herVoice shows that on 2 June this year, TA advised a hearing of the Economic Legislation Estimates Committee that the contract would continue – at additional expense to taxpayers – until the position was filled.
While herVoice is obviously concerned that TA remains without a permanent leader to take control of its future direction – and that the recruitment process is continuing to impact on the public coffers; it was the behaviour of TA’s leaders in response to the Estimates questions that has prompted this post.
herVoice regrets to report that rather than recording an attempt to address the Committee’s questions with dignity and respect, Hansard in fact recorded proceedings that were reminiscent of a hybrid of Monty Python and Yes, Minister.
The absolute flurry of bluff and porcupine-passing that the TA chiefs drew upon in their responses made for an impressive performance by all accounts – but as the leaders of the peak body of a $90 billion a year industry, these people aren’t paid to be comedians or sidesteppers.
herVoice is not unaware of the many political pressures upon agency representatives at Estimates hearings; and the additional pressure of being held to public scrutiny. But despite that, she maintains that answering questions in the public interest with integrity is far more important than hiding behind a veil of fluff and buck-passing.
In a nutshell, strong, independent leadership is needed – and fast – to put our peak tourism body back on track.
Gold Coast Tourism chiefs Paul Donovan and Martin Winter seem equally unimpressed, letting fly at a House of Representatives committee hearing on the Gold Coast last week, calling for a ‘total overhaul (of TA) from the top to the bottom’, including a new TA managing director.
After her foray into Hansard this morning, herVoice supports their call.
