September 10, 2026 • 12 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
As we discussed throughout the week that was, we've seen
the national tourism sector band together to urgently urge the
Commonwealth to reconsider proposed cuts to the long stay working
holiday visas, which will impact the number of backpackers. heading
to regional Australia. Now joining us in the studio is
the CEO of Tourism Top End, Sam Bennett. Good morning
(00:22):
to you, Sam.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Morning, Katie, and morning to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Thank you so much for joining us. Now, I know
that Tourism Top End has launched a petition following this
concern coming about.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
What kind of response has it received so far?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yeah, look, it's received a really great response. We've got
about two and a half thousand people that have already
signed the petition.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
It's a lot. Yeah, it is. It's an important issue.
It clearly is.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
And it's clearly something that people are very worried about.
I mean, what was your reaction when you heard that
the federal government was considering making this change?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
I think it's like some of the other decisions that
have been made in the last 12 months around fixing
a problem in the capital cities that has unintended consequences
for regional areas.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
It certainly is.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
And I get it, you know, that obviously the federal
government's looking at migration in some of those highly populated
areas where housing is an issue, etc. But our working holidaymakers,
like the people that are coming here backpacking, they are
not the issue, right?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
100% they're not the issue. For the Northern Territory, the
impact of these visa changes is even greater. We're already
one of the most expensive and geographically challenged destinations in Australia.
And backpackers are the exact type of visitor that we want.
They come and stay longer. They travel further. They spend
(01:48):
the money that they make. And if we make it
harder for them to come to regional Australia and particularly
the top end, we'll feel that impact first and hardest.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
We spoke to Cathy Simmons yesterday from hospitality. I mean,
she said that a lot of backpackers are filling jobs.
In that industry, we spoke about a week ago to
NT Farmers about the impact that it could have, and
they're okay for this season.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
But longer term, this could have a big impact, like.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Almost a halting kind of impact on some of our industries.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
It's really interesting because, you know, Tourism is seen as
the fun portfolio, the fun industry. But, you know, we're
under constant pressure to increase our visitor numbers, increase our
contribution to the economy.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
And yet when it comes to serious issues.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
like this, it's very hard to get any support, especially
from the federal government. You know, they've made a number
of changes this year. It started with the fuel crisis and,
you know, take off your roof racks and pump up
your tyres and don't leave a metropolitan area and then
passenger movement charges. All of these things are federal government
(03:04):
policy that are creating a really difficult environment for operators
in regional and particularly the top end to actually strive,
you know, thrive and get ahead.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Tell me, we've seen all the states and territories band
together on this. Has the federal government provided any response
yet or what's the next step?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
No, so we don't have a response, but I am
travelling to Canberra on Sunday for some meetings on Monday.
We will have the ear of the federal ministers and
we are doing this as a collective through the Australian
Tourism Industry Council, which is represented by every single state.
(03:45):
We've also got Hospitality and Australian Hotels Association and Margie
from TTF will be there, loud and as she is, wonderful.
So I think that the fact that all the peak
bodies have gone– this is crazy and, you know, at
the end of the day, visitors.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Are not migrating here.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
No.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
They are visitors. They come, they spend, they play, they go.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
And look, if they ever do, it's a much longer
term kind of situation where somebody might come here and
work for a year or two and then they might think, oh,
goodness me, or they might come to work for six
months and then they go, hang on a second, I
love this place. And want to stay in the territory
and that's a great scenario.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
It is absolutely, you know, especially in the outback.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Like we have a skill shortage across the board and
backpackers aren't just hospitality workers, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
They come with qualifications. They're builders. They're hairdressers.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
They're all sorts of skills that we actually lack and
we are challenged as we go into the the next
phase for the Northern Territory and we pass the cusp
of where are we going to find that workforce.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So Sam, from your perspective, what is the main message
that you, that the other industry leaders are going to
have for our federal politicians, our federal minister on Monday
at that meeting?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I think the very– is we're going to ask Canberra
to put a regional lens on it. Yeah. You know,
I don't think we'll be able to change their mind
entirely about this, but there needs to be a regional
lens put onto this and for them to understand what
the consequences are.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I personally– and.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Look, this is the sentiment of most fake bodies– tourists
and working holidaymakers and backpackers should not even be included
in those numbers.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
You know, you are going.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
It's lazy policy to actually go at the tourism sector
rather than fixing an actual migration problem.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, particularly when the tourism sector has had to endure
a lot over recent years. You know, when you go
back to COVID, you've had to recover after that. you know,
you go to the beginning of this year, as you
touched on a couple of moments ago with, you know,
the issues with fuel and the concerns then, you know,
with getting flights, with being able to tap into the
(06:18):
drive market. You have to endure a lot when, you know,
cost of living expenses go up as well. So I
just think it's a bad area to be trying to
tap into. We should be trying to get people to come,
you know, to Australia and to the Northern Territory for
a visit to spend their money And if they're able
(06:39):
to work here for a few months, like surely that's
a good thing.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Yeah, look, the 88 days is the policy like that.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Let's tell them they've got to do 160 days.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Let's get them out of the metropolitan areas and get
them into regional areas, which is, you know, they're here
for that experience.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Cities are all over the world.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
And as much as we love Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,
they're no different from the cities they come from. They
come here because of the Outback, but they need to
know that there's jobs here and that there's a policy
setting that allows them to do what they want to do.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Sam, we did get a message yesterday, I believe it was.
It says, hi, Katie and Kathleen. As a tourism operator
in rural Northern Territory, I wanted to offer a couple
of points regarding the backpackers visa changes. Being very seasonal,
we're lucky if we make a profit for five out
of 12 months. which is why we cannot offer permanent
employment that locals need. As many tourism businesses do, we
(07:38):
supply accommodation to staff or they sleep in their vans,
so not really taking up rental properties. Industry consultation would
help to get a better understanding of our needs. If
this is a real issue on the East Coast, then
why not offer visa extensions to travellers who want to
visit the Northern Territory? We've seen Tourism Central Australia receive
(07:59):
federal funding to provide accommodation vouchers as incentives for interstate visitors. So,
you know, there's obviously, you know, there's concern here from
this person who's saying that they, you know, they need
that consultation and why not have it extended here to
the Northern Territory?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
100%.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
And that is the sentiment and the synergy between all
of us, you know. I think the important thing to
remember is as seasonal workers, because we are seasonal and
it's like a tide. They come when the weather's cold
down south. And so we don't really have control over
when our season is. But also the territory is beautiful
in the wet and in the dry, but particularly in
(08:40):
the dry, that's.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
When they don't want to be where they are.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
So I think, but the workforce is, Those positions are
genuine jobs. They are genuine positions that are.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Not there all year round.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Even Tourism Top End, who runs a visitor information centre,
we staff up and we staff down. And we really
do so that we can actually understand the visitor better.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
We do actually employ those people.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
And it's great for them because then they get to
explore the territory and tell all their friends and we
get more backpackers.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Hey, tell me more broadly, how is tourism going at
the moment? What are operators telling you right now?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Oh, look, I think the last six weeks have seen
a really good uptick. But prior to that, our industry
sentiment health check that we did in June was dire,
to be honest with you. We had 68% of businesses
tell us they were performing worse than last year. 57%
(09:43):
had lower revenue. 58% had softer forward bookings. And they
were really genuinely concerned. And I think There is no
way for any of the industry to make up for
the first six months of this year.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Six weeks is great.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
But it is not going to be long enough to
sustain our businesses. And we are seeing them already closing earlier,
reducing their departures, reducing their staff, you know, because they
know what's coming. And it's going to be a tough
year and our greatest concern is losing product because if
we don't have anything for people to do, they're not
(10:22):
going to come.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Tell me, you know, as I mentioned before, we've seen
in Central Australia, they received that federal funding to provide
accommodation vouchers as incentives for interstate visitors. Is that something
we need to be looking at for us here in
the Top End?
Speaker 3 (10:36):
100% and we have had a federal ask-in since March
and then we renewed that in June and.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
We've had no meaningful response to that.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Instead, our businesses are effectively being asked to sit tight,
absorb the pressure and hope for the best.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
And that really is not a strategy for regional tourism. No,
it's not.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
It's truly not. So have you had any discussion with
our federal member, Luke Gorsley?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yes, I had a number of meetings with him before
we put in our federal ask. He is aware of
the state of the industry. You know, we've had Nita
Green come. we've got a lot of interest. We'll have
David Littleproud and the Nats come. Angus Taylor's been in.
Everybody understands it. But I guess we're living in almost
(11:26):
austerity measures across Australia and tourism is an easy hit.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Yeah, well, and look, you can't make it easier by then,
you know, cutting those backpackers and making it more difficult
to come here. And, you know, yes, they work in
the industries, but they also spend money while they're here.
You know, they work and then they go out and
enjoy themselves and have a good time.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Yeah, they spend what they earn on the other.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Side of the bar. Yeah, which is exactly what we want, right?
You know, they're the kind of visitors you want. Sam Bennett,
always lovely to catch up with you. I really appreciate
you joining us in the studio and talking us through
this issue.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Thank you. Thank you.
As we discussed throughout the week that was, we've seen
the national tourism sector band together to urgently urge the
Commonwealth to reconsider proposed cuts to the long stay working
holiday visas, which will impact the number of backpackers. heading
to regional Australia. Now joining us in the studio is
the CEO of Tourism Top End, Sam Bennett. Good morning
(00:22):
to you, Sam.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Morning, Katie, and morning to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Thank you so much for joining us. Now, I know
that Tourism Top End has launched a petition following this
concern coming about.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
What kind of response has it received so far?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yeah, look, it's received a really great response. We've got
about two and a half thousand people that have already
signed the petition.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
It's a lot. Yeah, it is. It's an important issue.
It clearly is.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
And it's clearly something that people are very worried about.
I mean, what was your reaction when you heard that
the federal government was considering making this change?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
I think it's like some of the other decisions that
have been made in the last 12 months around fixing
a problem in the capital cities that has unintended consequences
for regional areas.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
It certainly is.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
And I get it, you know, that obviously the federal
government's looking at migration in some of those highly populated
areas where housing is an issue, etc. But our working holidaymakers,
like the people that are coming here backpacking, they are
not the issue, right?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
100% they're not the issue. For the Northern Territory, the
impact of these visa changes is even greater. We're already
one of the most expensive and geographically challenged destinations in Australia.
And backpackers are the exact type of visitor that we want.
They come and stay longer. They travel further. They spend
(01:48):
the money that they make. And if we make it
harder for them to come to regional Australia and particularly
the top end, we'll feel that impact first and hardest.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
We spoke to Cathy Simmons yesterday from hospitality. I mean,
she said that a lot of backpackers are filling jobs.
In that industry, we spoke about a week ago to
NT Farmers about the impact that it could have, and
they're okay for this season.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
But longer term, this could have a big impact, like.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Almost a halting kind of impact on some of our industries.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
It's really interesting because, you know, Tourism is seen as
the fun portfolio, the fun industry. But, you know, we're
under constant pressure to increase our visitor numbers, increase our
contribution to the economy.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
And yet when it comes to serious issues.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
like this, it's very hard to get any support, especially
from the federal government. You know, they've made a number
of changes this year. It started with the fuel crisis and,
you know, take off your roof racks and pump up
your tyres and don't leave a metropolitan area and then
passenger movement charges. All of these things are federal government
(03:04):
policy that are creating a really difficult environment for operators
in regional and particularly the top end to actually strive,
you know, thrive and get ahead.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Tell me, we've seen all the states and territories band
together on this. Has the federal government provided any response
yet or what's the next step?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
No, so we don't have a response, but I am
travelling to Canberra on Sunday for some meetings on Monday.
We will have the ear of the federal ministers and
we are doing this as a collective through the Australian
Tourism Industry Council, which is represented by every single state.
(03:45):
We've also got Hospitality and Australian Hotels Association and Margie
from TTF will be there, loud and as she is, wonderful.
So I think that the fact that all the peak
bodies have gone– this is crazy and, you know, at
the end of the day, visitors.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Are not migrating here.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
No.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
They are visitors. They come, they spend, they play, they go.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
And look, if they ever do, it's a much longer
term kind of situation where somebody might come here and
work for a year or two and then they might think, oh,
goodness me, or they might come to work for six
months and then they go, hang on a second, I
love this place. And want to stay in the territory
and that's a great scenario.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
It is absolutely, you know, especially in the outback.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Like we have a skill shortage across the board and
backpackers aren't just hospitality workers, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
They come with qualifications. They're builders. They're hairdressers.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
They're all sorts of skills that we actually lack and
we are challenged as we go into the the next
phase for the Northern Territory and we pass the cusp
of where are we going to find that workforce.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So Sam, from your perspective, what is the main message
that you, that the other industry leaders are going to
have for our federal politicians, our federal minister on Monday
at that meeting?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I think the very– is we're going to ask Canberra
to put a regional lens on it. Yeah. You know,
I don't think we'll be able to change their mind
entirely about this, but there needs to be a regional
lens put onto this and for them to understand what
the consequences are.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I personally– and.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Look, this is the sentiment of most fake bodies– tourists
and working holidaymakers and backpackers should not even be included
in those numbers.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
You know, you are going.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
It's lazy policy to actually go at the tourism sector
rather than fixing an actual migration problem.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, particularly when the tourism sector has had to endure
a lot over recent years. You know, when you go
back to COVID, you've had to recover after that. you know,
you go to the beginning of this year, as you
touched on a couple of moments ago with, you know,
the issues with fuel and the concerns then, you know,
with getting flights, with being able to tap into the
(06:18):
drive market. You have to endure a lot when, you know,
cost of living expenses go up as well. So I
just think it's a bad area to be trying to
tap into. We should be trying to get people to come,
you know, to Australia and to the Northern Territory for
a visit to spend their money And if they're able
(06:39):
to work here for a few months, like surely that's
a good thing.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Yeah, look, the 88 days is the policy like that.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Let's tell them they've got to do 160 days.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Let's get them out of the metropolitan areas and get
them into regional areas, which is, you know, they're here
for that experience.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Cities are all over the world.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
And as much as we love Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,
they're no different from the cities they come from. They
come here because of the Outback, but they need to
know that there's jobs here and that there's a policy
setting that allows them to do what they want to do.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Sam, we did get a message yesterday, I believe it was.
It says, hi, Katie and Kathleen. As a tourism operator
in rural Northern Territory, I wanted to offer a couple
of points regarding the backpackers visa changes. Being very seasonal,
we're lucky if we make a profit for five out
of 12 months. which is why we cannot offer permanent
employment that locals need. As many tourism businesses do, we
(07:38):
supply accommodation to staff or they sleep in their vans,
so not really taking up rental properties. Industry consultation would
help to get a better understanding of our needs. If
this is a real issue on the East Coast, then
why not offer visa extensions to travellers who want to
visit the Northern Territory? We've seen Tourism Central Australia receive
(07:59):
federal funding to provide accommodation vouchers as incentives for interstate visitors. So,
you know, there's obviously, you know, there's concern here from
this person who's saying that they, you know, they need
that consultation and why not have it extended here to
the Northern Territory?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
100%.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
And that is the sentiment and the synergy between all
of us, you know. I think the important thing to
remember is as seasonal workers, because we are seasonal and
it's like a tide. They come when the weather's cold
down south. And so we don't really have control over
when our season is. But also the territory is beautiful
in the wet and in the dry, but particularly in
(08:40):
the dry, that's.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
When they don't want to be where they are.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
So I think, but the workforce is, Those positions are
genuine jobs. They are genuine positions that are.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Not there all year round.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Even Tourism Top End, who runs a visitor information centre,
we staff up and we staff down. And we really
do so that we can actually understand the visitor better.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
We do actually employ those people.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
And it's great for them because then they get to
explore the territory and tell all their friends and we
get more backpackers.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Hey, tell me more broadly, how is tourism going at
the moment? What are operators telling you right now?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Oh, look, I think the last six weeks have seen
a really good uptick. But prior to that, our industry
sentiment health check that we did in June was dire,
to be honest with you. We had 68% of businesses
tell us they were performing worse than last year. 57%
(09:43):
had lower revenue. 58% had softer forward bookings. And they
were really genuinely concerned. And I think There is no
way for any of the industry to make up for
the first six months of this year.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Six weeks is great.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
But it is not going to be long enough to
sustain our businesses. And we are seeing them already closing earlier,
reducing their departures, reducing their staff, you know, because they
know what's coming. And it's going to be a tough
year and our greatest concern is losing product because if
we don't have anything for people to do, they're not
(10:22):
going to come.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Tell me, you know, as I mentioned before, we've seen
in Central Australia, they received that federal funding to provide
accommodation vouchers as incentives for interstate visitors. Is that something
we need to be looking at for us here in
the Top End?
Speaker 3 (10:36):
100% and we have had a federal ask-in since March
and then we renewed that in June and.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
We've had no meaningful response to that.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Instead, our businesses are effectively being asked to sit tight,
absorb the pressure and hope for the best.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
And that really is not a strategy for regional tourism. No,
it's not.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
It's truly not. So have you had any discussion with
our federal member, Luke Gorsley?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yes, I had a number of meetings with him before
we put in our federal ask. He is aware of
the state of the industry. You know, we've had Nita
Green come. we've got a lot of interest. We'll have
David Littleproud and the Nats come. Angus Taylor's been in.
Everybody understands it. But I guess we're living in almost
(11:26):
austerity measures across Australia and tourism is an easy hit.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Yeah, well, and look, you can't make it easier by then,
you know, cutting those backpackers and making it more difficult
to come here. And, you know, yes, they work in
the industries, but they also spend money while they're here.
You know, they work and then they go out and
enjoy themselves and have a good time.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Yeah, they spend what they earn on the other.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Side of the bar. Yeah, which is exactly what we want, right?
You know, they're the kind of visitors you want. Sam Bennett,
always lovely to catch up with you. I really appreciate
you joining us in the studio and talking us through
this issue.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Thank you. Thank you.
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