On behalf of the team at Accommodation Association, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season.

The office of Accommodation Association will be closed from Friday 23rd December at 12noon (AEDT) and will reopen on Monday 9th January, 2023. Should you have an urgent enquiry during this period, please send an email to mail@aaoa.com.au and we shall respond.

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. Have a wonderful Christmas!

Kind Regards

Michael Johnson

Interim CEO

AMALGAMATION

The Fair Work Commission has given the greenlight to the next stage in the proposed amalgamation of the Accommodation Association of Australia (AA) and Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA), including approving an AA member vote.

The Australian Electoral Commission will post ballot papers to AA members with the secret postal ballot commencing on 16 January 2023 and closing 13 February 2023.

This is an exciting key milestone in progressing to a new peak body, Accommodation Australia.

Following the ballot and depending on the outcome, the Fair Work Commission will then make its final orders regarding the proposed amalgamation.

It’s intended that Leanne Harwood will be the inaugural President of the merged entity, with Sean Hunt Vice President, and Bruce Copland Treasurer.

“The FWC decision to allow us to proceed to a secret postal ballot of Accommodation Association members from 16 January through to 13 February is very exciting news,” Michael Johnson Interim CEO Accommodation Association and CEO NSW and National Tourism Accommodation Australia said.

“The fact that the FWC process has gone as smoothly as it has is the result of the robust and detailed case developed over the past 19 months led by the amalgamation working group and supported by the AA Council and the TAA Board.”

“AA members will be start receiving their ballot papers and supporting communications in early January ahead of the postal ballot opening on 16 January. It is important that all eligible members vote as part of this process and return ballot papers in time for the 13 February deadline.”

“As member led and member driven organisations, we are aligned on the critical importance of a new merged body with an independent board and leadership team to best represent their interests. This is more important now than ever as we rebuild after one of the most challenging trading periods ever.”

The AEC will conduct the ballot in accordance with the following timetable:

RECRUITMENT & TRAINING

Click on the image above to view a short video showcasing our Good News Stories.

By Bassel Tallal, National General Manager for Advocacy and Public Policy

2022 has thrown everything at us, from beginning the year with a threat of more lockdowns caused by Omicron, workforce challenges and supply chain issues that have made trading very difficult and don’t forget about the political, economic and social changes that we’ve faced. We are proud to say we’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with our members throughout the year helping ease the pressure and keep you focused on providing the best possible experience to your customers.

Before we wrap up the year, the Accommodation Association is participating in several submissions over the Christmas period, we have five different submissions that we’re working on over the holidays, four on Australia’s migration system and one on online bookings and the restrictions on tourism and accommodation providers setting their own prices.

Recently the Association and TAA hosted a round table consultation meeting with Treasury and Austrade in Canberra on the Online Bookings and Price Parity clauses issue. This was a good opportunity for our independent hotel and motel owners to share their experience and concerns with some specific examples to Austrade and Government. A very big thank you to those in attendance. If you have not done the 5-10 minute survey on this issue please don’t hesitate to do so here. AAoA and TAA will be formally lodging a submission on behalf of industry (particularly the independent motel and hotel owners) in the coming weeks.

From addressing the skills and workforce shortages to continuing to secure support measures from Government to promote the sector’s recovery, it’s certainly been a busy year for the Accommodation Association advocacy function.

Among the year’s key advocacy achievements are:

• The Federal Budget announcement of $48 million over 4 years from 2022-23 to support recruitment and marketing in the tourism and travel sectors, and for infrastructure upgrades for caravan parks including a $10 million commitment to support the Accommodation Association’s ‘The Hub” platform to connect people to vacancies, foster skills development and showcase Tourism as a career;
• Putting the proposed ‘bed tax’ aka ‘visitor levy’ to bed.
• an investment of over $5.6 million from the Victorian Government to support paid training for up to 400 priority cohort jobseekers as part of a new Accommodation Association Victorian Jobs program;
• representation at the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit and ongoing engagement with key Federal Ministers and decision makers;
• ongoing involvement in the Federal Government’s Thrive 2030 strategy for recovery of Australia’s visitor economy recovery;
• advocacy around the re-opening of Australia’s international border and resumption of cruising after the two-year ban;
• ongoing advocacy on the need for urgent action on regional housing to free up sufficient long-term rental accommodation to support regional employees;
• the NSW Government’s Parents NSW and Stay NSW voucher programs;
• the Victorian Government’s Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme extension which effectively provided an additional two months of rent relief and protection for small and medium businesses;
• continuing progress towards the proposed amalgamation of both organisations to create Accommodation Australia.

Thank you for your support and guidance in helping us achieve these advocacy outcomes.

Stay safe and Merry Christmas.

Regards,

Bassel Tallal

Public Holidays - Christmas 2022 & New Year 2023

Click here to view our holiday calendar and public holiday entitlement information on the website.

Enquiries from members are very welcome. Please phone 02 8666 9015 or email mail@aaoa.com.au

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Noel Teskey

National Manager, Industrial Relations & Member Services

'A recent High Court decision has resulted in the Queensland Government enacting changes to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011, which come into effect on 1 April 2023. The amendments will require that employers manage "psychosocial risk" in the workplace to protect their workers.

Read more'

Upcoming Events

In spirit of the Accommodation Association and AHA / TAA amalgamation, the decision has been made to co-host events in 2023. While we still confirm venues and events, the following are save the dates for your reference and Invitations will be sent once events are confirmed:

• TAA NSW Chairman & AAoA President's Drinks - 01 February 2023
• Enhanced Leadership Training (Sydney) - 14 & 15 February 2023
• AAoA & TAA Vic Leaders Lunch - 16 February 2023
• Destination Sydney Surrounds GM Luncheon (Newcastle) - 23 February 2023
• Minister of Tourism GM Luncheon (Hunter Valley) - 08 March 2023
• TAA Vic & AAoA Industry Update, Hotel Market & Economic Outlook - 15 March 2023
• Revenue & Distribution Management Training (Sydney) - 20 March 2023
• NSW TAA IR & Legal Update #1 (Sydney) - 30 March 2023
• AHICE Conference - May 2023

Other events to include Hotel Market Update’s in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne.

If you are interested in hosting one of our events or would like to suggest topics or speakers, please contact us via email to events@aaoa.com.au

Hostplus wins Fund of the Year for 2023

Hostplus was proud to be named SuperRatings’ Fund of the Year for 2023. We were also thrilled to be awarded the Net Benefit Award, MyChoice Super of the Year, and achieve the 20 Year Platinum Performance rating. It was fantastic recognition of our commitment to improving your staff’s retirement outcomes.

Find out more.

Our Executive General Manager, Leanne Graham, took to video to wish all our colleagues at ahs hospitality, our suppliers, our friends and family, and our hotel partners, a safe and happy holiday season!

Watch Leanne’s video message.

Our CEO, Con Katsinas has written a Christmas message to all Members that can be read here.

As Australia's leading hospitality print business, the team at NCP acknowledges that we have an important role to play in reducing our collective environmental footprint.

Click here to read more.