THE Far North could see an increase in working holiday makers after the Turnbull Government launched a global $10 million campaign to attract more of the young travellers to Australia.
Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the campaign builds on the Coalition’s recent reform package, which will make Australia a world-leading destination for young people wanting to experience a working holiday.
“Combined with the Far North’s natural beauty and overall safety, and the employment opportunities in our region, conditions are ripe for a backpacker boost,” Mr Entsch said.
“I’ve welcomed the new package because it’s much fairer on working holiday makers and creates more opportunities for local employers, as well as cracking down on those few operators who are doing the wrong thing by exploiting backpackers.”
Key highlights of the Turnbull Government’s reform package include:
– offering working holiday makers the highest post-tax income among comparable countries with a tax rate at 19 per cent;
– allowing more tourists to become working holiday makers, with the age limit increasing from 30 to 35 years old;
– reducing visa application charges for working holiday makers by $50 to $390; and
– allowing working holiday makers to work for the same employer for 12 months, provided the second six months is in a different region.
Mr Entsch said the three-year campaign will target the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy to boost the number of working holiday maker arrivals.
“The campaign, by Tourism Australia, invites young people around the world to come to Australia for a life-changing experience, working and holidaying in our beautiful country,” he said.
“Working holiday makers are an important part of our agricultural and tourism industry; with more than 320,000 working holiday makers spending around $3 billion in Australia in the last year.
“I’ll be working with local tourism operators to make sure our region maximises the benefits from this new campaign.”
