THE newly released State of Industry 2020 Report from Caravan Industry Association of Australia lays out the past performance of Australia’s caravan and camping industry and highlights the opportunity for the industry to drive recovery.

In 2019, the total caravan and camping visitor nights exceeded 60 million and 14 million trips for the first time.

"When you reflect that there are 24.8 million Australians and 8.4 million households, caravan and camping holidays has become an integral part of our national travelling behaviour," a spokesperson said.

"Without a doubt, the industry has recently been overshadowed by an uncertain world where a devastating bushfire season coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic has firmly applied the brakes on what was an incredible period of growth for Australia’s caravan and camping industry."

To put this into context, since 2010 the market has grown by:

•       an additional 5.5 million caravan and camping trips;
•       an extra 17.3 million nights spent caravan and camping annually; and
•       over 196,000 recreational vehicles have been manufactured and registered.

Caravan Industry Association of Australia CEO, Stuart Lamont, said, “Whilst looking back at 2019 may seem unimportant in the current climate, the year marked a number of important milestones for the industry."

It is the year that according to Tourism Research Australia, caravan and camping became the most popular holiday type for Australians. This is no easy achievement when we consider the significant competitive nature of the tourism sector.

“Looking forward, we are optimistic about the future of the caravan and camping industry, especially as Australians look to support local business, reconnect with loved ones and spend time in nature after such a challenging year” Mr Lamont said.

The State of Industry 2020 Report provides an important benchmark and highlights the importance of the caravan and camping sector to the performance of Australia’s visitor economy, bringing together the many different sectors and operating conditions relevant to the caravan and camping industry

Reflecting on the year prior helps to paint a picture as to the wide-reaching positive impact the industry has on regional Australia and the manufacturing industry.

The caravan and camping industry is incredibly well placed to drive tourism and economic recovery through encouraging job creation, creating strong value chains and supporting regional economies," Mr Lamont said.

www.caravanindustry.com.au

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WEALTH manager Atlas Advisors Australia has commended the Australian Government for listening to the needs of business and the economy by recommencing the issuance of 188 visas and allocating interim places prior to the Budget under the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP).

Atlas Advisors Australia executive chairman, Guy Hedley said the states and territories, including business centres of NSW and Victoria, had taken the important step of opening their doors to applicants to the 188C Business Innovation and Investment Visa following the Australian Government’s interim allocation of places.

“We commend the Australian Government and the states and territories for recognising the important role business migration plays in driving our economy,” Mr Hedley said. “This will have a tremendous impact on the post-pandemic recovery of business. It will assist Australian businesses and entrepreneurs to counter the lack of availability of domestic capital investment.

“We encourage the Australian Government to go further by prioritising its review of the BIIP to maximise the benefits to the economy in a post-pandemic era.”

Mr Hedley said the doors to the country were just reopening, yet Atlas Advisors Australia already seen a dramatic increase in interest from high net worth migrant investors including from destinations such as Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong is a vibrant business destination with many rich and highly experienced entrepreneurs and businesspeople,” he said.

“These migrant investors are keen to help stimulate business and employment through ventures in their new homeland.”

About Atlas Advisors Australia

Atlas Advisors Australia is a leading funds manager and investment advisory business, operating between China and Australia offering a wide range of financial services and wealth management solutions. With operations in Sydney, Melbourne in Australia and Hong Kong SAR and Shanghai in China, Atlas is able to support investors in all China and Australia locations. Atlas Advisors Australia AFOF is the major limited partner in the Stoic Venture Capital.

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QUEENSLAND politicians vying for government in the upcoming election are being put on notice that now is the time to stop millions of dollars in profits flowing overseas to foreign owned construction companies.

Australian Owned Contractors (AOC) has launched the ‘Let Us Build Queensland’ campaign, demanding that Queensland projects be built by Queensland and Australian owned companies.

The six-week campaign strategically targets marginal seats ahead of the State election, focusing on the Brisbane and Gold Coast seats of Aspley, Mansfield and Gaven and the regional seats of Townsville and Mundingburra.

AOC CEO Brent Crockford and AOC director Scott Power said the campaign deliberately pulled no punches, including election-style advertising and an online petition to force action.

“Voters in marginal seats will be mobilised and politicians pressured to make action on this issue part of their election platform,” Mr Crockford said.
“All of Australia’s major construction companies are now foreign owned and they dominate across our biggest public infrastructure projects.

“In fact, 95 cents in every dollar spent by Governments on these major projects across the country now goes to foreign owned companies.

“The ‘Let Us Build Queensland’ campaign seeks to draw a line in the sand ahead of the State election, and to illustrate to Queenslanders who really reap the benefits of our biggest projects – and it’s not Australian companies.”

The AOC represents 18 of Australia’s leading home-grown and owned contracting companies and has launched the campaign to fight for local opportunity and competition, local skills development, and domestic company growth.

Mr Power said most Queenslanders were unaware of just how high the cards were stacked against local construction and engineering firms when it came to bidding for and winning major work.

“Our companies regularly take on and successfully deliver projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but we are locked out and left fighting for sub-contracting scraps when it comes to leading the biggest projects,” Mr Power said.

“Capability is rarely a factor in these situations – it comes down to ability to take on sole financial risk when procurement is bundled together in mega-projects by government agencies.

“It’s a one-size-fits-all mentality to tendering which relegates Australian companies to second class subcontractor status while foreign owned multi-nationals lead the work on our biggest national projects.”

Mr Crockford said the AOC campaign was unapologetic in drawing voter attention to the issue and urged Queenslanders to sign the petition which called on local politicians to put a stop to offshore favouritism.

The ‘Let Us Build Queensland’ petition is available via the campaign webpage: www.letusbuild.com.au

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell said family businesses have been hit hard by the COVID crisis, encouraging everyone to buy local this National Family Business Day (Friday, September 18).

Speaking in a Family Business Australia video marking the day, Ms Carnell said the family business sector needed to be supported as it emerges from this difficult period. 

“National Family Business Day is usually a day to celebrate, but 2020 is a year like no other,” Ms Carnell said.

“Times are incredibly tough and so many family businesses that were viable this time last year are now facing enormous challenges after a devastating bushfire season followed by a global pandemic.

“Family businesses in Victoria continue to struggle with ongoing heavy restrictions.

“The best way you can support family businesses is to spend locally – whether that’s at a mum-and-dad owned bricks and mortar store such as the town butcher or by shopping online via social media campaigns such as ‘Click for Vic,’ 'Buy From the Bush', 'Empty Esky', 'Spend With Them' and 'Stay with Them' – to name a few.

“Family businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and key contributors to our economy – accounting for up to 70 percent of Australian businesses and employing as much as half of the workforce.

“Their survival is critical to our broader economic recovery," Ms Carnell said.

“That’s why my office has produced a comprehensive COVID-19 Recovery Plan recommending a suite of reforms to help small and family businesses survive and thrive.

“The recommendations cover a broad range of areas including taxation, access to justice, industrial relations, government procurement and cutting red tape.”

Ms Carnell said her office was also excited to be working in partnership with Family Business Australia to produce a guide to succession planning.

“Succession planning is a key issue for family businesses and this guide will provide a step-by-step process to ensure the next generation are ready to take the reins when the time is right,” she said.

Read family business stories here and see Kate Carnell’s National Family Business Day video here.

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