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ATIA members' voices to be heard in new Parliament after strong advocacy campaign

With votes cast in the 2025 federal election and the new parliament taking shape, ATIA members are in a strong position to continue advocating for measures to keep our industry strong.
 
ATIA energetically engaged candidates from all sides of politics on key issues affecting the travel industry during the campaign and will continue to strongly advocate on behalf of members when the new parliament begins sitting.
 
ATIA is committed to ensuring our elected representatives are aware of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. It has never been more important that the views of our members are heard given the power and presence of other dominant players in our ecosystem.
 
If we are to change the ecosystem our members operate in, we need to make sure that we have support across Ministers, Shadow Ministers, and as many members of Parliament as possible.
 
ATIA’s advocacy priorities centre on fairness and include:

• Avoiding unnecessary red tape: Ensuring that the proposed Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme remain focused on airlines who set fare rules and hold consumer funds and airports, not travel agents which would come at significant cost for each business.
• Growing Consumer Awareness: A public awareness campaign highlighting the safety and consumer benefits of booking with an accredited, Australian-based travel agent is needed.
• Ensuring fair payments: Travel businesses generally operate on low margins, and some are forced to pay bonds of more than $1 million to maintain merchant terminals. Removing their ability to recover the cost of accepting debt and credit card payments through surcharging will uniquely disadvantage travel businesses.
• Enhancing aviation competition: Weak competition in the aviation market has left Australians facing soaring airfares, patchy service, and reduced connectivity.
• Reversing training funding cuts: Employers who take on apprentices and trainees in the travel industry, must be continue to be supported. The costs of supervising and training apprentices can be prohibitive and without financial incentives and it can mean the difference between employers being able to take on a trainee or not.

 
QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO ATIA CEO DEAN LONG:
“We thank members who contacted their local political candidates during the election campaign. A relationship with your local member of Parliament is important no matter who you support politically.”
 
“Advocacy is about more than politics. It is about shaping the conversation to ensure the needs and concerns of our members heard and considered at the tables of power when important decisions are being made.’’
 
“We now move into the next stage of the political cycle and we will be working with members to build on the success to date as we cement existing relationships and build new ones with key players."

"In addition to our direct engagement with Ministers and Shadow Ministers, the most powerful asset we have are the voices of our Members in each electorate. There are multiple challenges, and opportunities, for us with this Parliament and our focus is on making sure the value of Travel and of supporting accredited Travel businesses is widely understood.”