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Workforce and visa challenges lead agenda in the nation’s capital
Meeting at Parliament House, the board shared their concerns about proposed migrations cuts with senior politicians and other industry leaders
Workforce challenges, migration settings and the tourism outlook led the agenda when the national board of Accommodation Australia met in Canberra recently.
Accommodation Australia CEO James Goodwin said the industry is crying out for workers nationwide and many on the board had concerns about proposed cuts to migration.
“Right now, there are more than 40,000 job vacancies in hospitality across Australia and there are simply not enough workers to fill them,” said Mr Goodwin.
“Just like in other important industries like construction and aged care, targeted migration is necessary to fill the large gaps to ease the worker shortage and unlock investment and growth.
“Cutting the number of skilled workers in hospitality is only going to make a bad situation worse.”
The board meeting was held in Parliament House on Wednesday, 12 August 2026. Guests included Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell, Assistant Minister for Tourism, Nita Green, Robin Mack from Tourism Australia, Nick Dowie from the Office of Tourism & Visitor Economy, and Shadow Minister for Tourism David Littleproud.
Mr Goodwin said it was important for board members to be able to put their views across to political leaders and thanked them for attending. The board also heard updates on Australia’s slowing tourism outlook.
“International visitor numbers only returned to pre-pandemic in February, but in the past few months this recovery has steadily been slowing mainly due to forces outside our control,” he said.
Accommodation Australia Chair David Mansfield said Parliament House in Canberra was the perfect place for such an important meeting.
“In uncertain times it is important to be at the table with key decision makers,” he said.
“Holding the meeting in the heart of our nation’s democracy was a strong signal to our members that we are advocating for them and making sure their voices are heard by those in power.”
