❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Tourism on how increased camping fees at Lucky Bay align with the goal of attracting more tourists to regional WA. The Minister deflects responsibility to the Environment portfolio but highlights tourism growth in Esperance.
AnsweredQoN 746Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LUCKY BAY CAMPGROUND
746. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Tourism:
I
refer to comments the minister made in The Esperance Express on
the reopening of the Lucky Bay campground that —
''Attracting more people, more
often to regional Western Australia is an important focus in Tourism WA's
Two-Year Action Plan and this upgrade at Lucky Bay will help us achieve that
goal.''
(1) How does the
recent hike in camping fees across 32 of the state's national parks,
with Lucky Bay copping one of the biggest increases at 36 per cent, attract
more people to regional Western Australia?
(2) Did the
Minister for Environment consult the Minister for Tourism and his agencies
ahead of jacking up these prices?
746. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Tourism:
I
refer to comments the minister made in The Esperance Express on
the reopening of the Lucky Bay campground that —
''Attracting more people, more
often to regional Western Australia is an important focus in Tourism WA's
Two-Year Action Plan and this upgrade at Lucky Bay will help us achieve that
goal.''
(1) How does the
recent hike in camping fees across 32 of the state's national parks,
with Lucky Bay copping one of the biggest increases at 36 per cent, attract
more people to regional Western Australia?
(2) Did the
Minister for Environment consult the Minister for Tourism and his agencies
ahead of jacking up these prices?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question.
(1)–(2) The member will be happy to know that in the last
12 months to the end of June this year, Esperance saw a 22 per cent
increase in international visitors. That is just Esperance; that is not
Australia's golden outback region, which also saw extraordinary growth
thanks partly to the affordable flights that we now have in place, which make it easier for people to book early and get an
affordable flight from Perth down to Esperance. I think those flights
are available four times a day. They obviously have been very successful and
well taken up. I have been down there during the Esperance Cup. You cannot get
a room down there at that time of the year; the place is humming. It has been
promoted heavily, not just by Tourism Western Australia —
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
Mr P. PAPALIA : The member has
asked a question about another portfolio, so I am talking about tourism, which
is my portfolio. If the member is asking about the environment minister and
fees for parks, that is not my portfolio. I have an observation to make, and
that is that Esperance is humming with regard to tourism. It is getting far
more visitors than it ever got under the previous government, because we know
that in 2018–19 we saw the biggest number of visitors from outside the
state to Western Australia in history, with the biggest spend in history. A lot
of that is going down to Esperance. It is doing very well. With regard to the
costs to which the member referred, it is not my responsibility and not my
portfolio. Nevertheless, as part of cabinet, we obviously see documentation
around matters of this nature. As I understand it, the fees are to cover costs
of operation. That is a reasonable thing. Fees necessary to cover the costs of
operation are reasonable, because otherwise that money would be coming from
somewhere else—maybe taxes, or maybe additional fees associated with
people who are not going to the park. It seems reasonable to me that the people
who access the park pay for that. Covering costs, on behalf of taxpayers, also
seems a reasonable thing.
(1)–(2) The member will be happy to know that in the last
12 months to the end of June this year, Esperance saw a 22 per cent
increase in international visitors. That is just Esperance; that is not
Australia's golden outback region, which also saw extraordinary growth
thanks partly to the affordable flights that we now have in place, which make it easier for people to book early and get an
affordable flight from Perth down to Esperance. I think those flights
are available four times a day. They obviously have been very successful and
well taken up. I have been down there during the Esperance Cup. You cannot get
a room down there at that time of the year; the place is humming. It has been
promoted heavily, not just by Tourism Western Australia —
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
Mr P. PAPALIA : The member has
asked a question about another portfolio, so I am talking about tourism, which
is my portfolio. If the member is asking about the environment minister and
fees for parks, that is not my portfolio. I have an observation to make, and
that is that Esperance is humming with regard to tourism. It is getting far
more visitors than it ever got under the previous government, because we know
that in 2018–19 we saw the biggest number of visitors from outside the
state to Western Australia in history, with the biggest spend in history. A lot
of that is going down to Esperance. It is doing very well. With regard to the
costs to which the member referred, it is not my responsibility and not my
portfolio. Nevertheless, as part of cabinet, we obviously see documentation
around matters of this nature. As I understand it, the fees are to cover costs
of operation. That is a reasonable thing. Fees necessary to cover the costs of
operation are reasonable, because otherwise that money would be coming from
somewhere else—maybe taxes, or maybe additional fees associated with
people who are not going to the park. It seems reasonable to me that the people
who access the park pay for that. Covering costs, on behalf of taxpayers, also
seems a reasonable thing.
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