Michael Johnson to lead Accommodation Australia as AA members vote ‘Yes’ to amalgamation

Accommodation Association of Australia’s members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of an amalgamation with Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA).

On Thursday, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) advised that 96% of members voted yes to the move, paving the way for the formation of one united industry body, Accommodation Australia.

TAA CEO and Interim CEO of the Accommodation Association, Michael Johnson, has been selected as Chief Executive Officer of the new association following a lengthy national recruitment process.

Johnson, who brings more than 30 years’ experience in the accommodation sector, looks forward to leading the new association should final approvals for the amalgamation be secured from the Fair Work Commission.

“It has long been a personal ambition of mine to see one united voice speaking for our great accommodation sector – finally this is about to become reality,” he said.

“I look forward to working with the new board and the teams as we give our members the best representation possible at all levels of Government.”

Accommodation Association of Australia President and the proposed President of Accommodation Australia, Leanne Harwood, said Johnson is the perfect person for the job.

“Michael will come to the role of CEO of Accommodation Australia with a wealth of experience in the sector and as someone who has personally already been heavily involved in sorting out the nuances of bringing together two highly active industry bodies,” she said.

“Importantly, he also understands the culture and approaches of both Tourism Accommodation Australia and the Accommodation Association. Following an extensive and heavily contested recruitment process, it is very clear Michael is the perfect person for the role.”

Original Article published in Hotel Management written by Ruth Hogan | February 16, 2023

Following a successful and busy 2022, the Association and our advocacy function continues to be focused on representing our members and the industry's interests.

During January and February, our team worked diligently to complete several submissions to the Federal Government. These submissions covered critical issues affecting the accommodation industry, aimed at ensuring that the government considers the needs of our members in 2023 and beyond. We are proud to report that we completed a total of four joint submissions with AHA/TAA, including a Migration System for Australia's Future, 2023 - 2024 Permanent Migration Program, Online Bookings - Restrictions on Tourism and Accommodation Providers Setting Prices, and 2023 - 2024 Federal Pre-Budget Submission.

To read more about the submissions and key recommendations, please click here.

Regards,

Bassel Tallal

National General Manager for Advocacy and Public Policy

Serious Misconduct – A Common Misconception

Employees who are dismissed for serious misconduct are not entitled to written notice of termination, nor payment in lieu of notice. However, it is a common misconception that employees also forgo the right to the procedural fairness process and natural justice.

The process involves giving an employee the opportunity to defend or refute the allegations before determining whether a dismissal is warranted.

The regulation gives examples of the types of conduct deemed to be serious misconduct – the examples include theft, fraud or assault, sexual harassment, being intoxicated at work, and refusing to carry out a lawful and reasonable instruction.

Noel Teskey

National Manager, Industrial Relations & Member Services

Legal

Breach of Hotel Management Agreement: Significant Damages

In a New South Wales case, the Supreme Court has found in favour of a hotel management company for the hotel owner's breach of the Hotel Management Agreement. Importantly, the damages ordered against the hotel owner were significant, based on the expected fees under the agreement. The Court considered three methods for calculating damages and ultimately accepted the method that resulted in the highest amount of damages.

To read more about the case, click here.

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 Vic & AAoA Industry Update, Hotel Market & Economic Outlook - 15 March 2023
Revenue & Distribution Management Training (Sydney) - 20 March 2023
TAA NSW & AAoA Hotel Market & Economic Outlook Update (Sydney) - 23 March 2023
NSW TAA IR & Legal Update #1 (Sydney) - 30 March 2023
TAA NSW & AAoA Gm Luncheon (Blue Mountains) - 05 April 2023
TAA VIC & AAoA Hotel Industry Update - 12 April 2023
QHA & AAoA Hotel Market & Economic Outlook Update (Brisbane) - 18 April 2023
QHA & AAoA Hotel Market & Economic Outlook Update (Gold Coast) - 20 April 2023
AHICE Conference - 03 & 04 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 ‘Best of the Best’ award winners

Hostplus was proud to receive three accolades in Money magazine’s ‘Best of the Best’ awards for 2023.

Our Socially Responsible Investment – Balanced options for our super and retirement products were named the ‘Best Diversified ESG Super Product’ and ‘Best Diversified ESG Pension Product’. And our Balanced (MySuper) option was named the ‘Best MySuper Single Strategy Product’. This award recognises our Balanced option for its leading long-term performance, with the option continuing to rank #1 over 10 and 20 years, according to SuperRatings.[1]

While our key measure of success is what we deliver to our members, it’s nice to receive recognition from third parties like Money magazine. Awards like this help validate our continued focus on providing better retirement outcomes for members.

Sun is still shining on Australia’s hotel industry

STR shares their take on hotel performance across the summer and what early markers are laid for how 2023 performance is likely to shape out.

The AFR have warned of at least a 35% increase in energy prices for 2023. Now is the time to talk with our Gold Partner, Zembl, to minimize the cost impacts on your business. It’s quick, easy, and free to compare and switch.

Get Started

ahs hospitality are excited to announce our new strategic partnership with our sole cleaning chemical supplier, Diversey. Kicking off this relationship in December 2022, we have already received glowing feedback about the operational benefits. Read more about how this partnership has acted as ahs hospitality’s launching pad into a fresh new year.

IHS with a New Look!!

And Website Too!!

With continuous improvement as part of our core values, IHS management processes are designed to capture new and innovative practices and technologies. We encourage innovation to continuously improve the way we work, and we are constantly reviewing, learning, updating and improving. Read more

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