TRADE MINISTER TALKS TO COLES BAY BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY FORUM

MORE than 40 people attended a business and industry forum at Coles Bay this week led by Federal Trade Minister Andrew Robb.

Federal Lyons MP Eric Hutchinson organised the event to give East Coast tourism and business operators the opportunity to discuss their issues with Mr Robb.

Mr Robb told those at the forum, at Freycinet Lodge, that international visitors rated the food and wine experience of Australia as a major reason for coming to the country.

But he said that work needed to be done further promote the experience.

Research revealed that those people who had never been to Australia rated the country 56th in the world for the food and wine experience but that figure increased dramatically for those who had already been here.

They rated Australia sixth in the world for the food and wine experience.

“Our biggest service trade in Australia is tourism – our domestic tourism is growing at six per cent a year and our international tourism will soon overtake domestic tourism,’’ Mr Robb said.

Mr Hutchinson welcomed the big crowd including tourism, local and state government leaders as well as business and tourism operators from along the East Coast.

A number of issues raised by forum participants included lack of service infrastructure on the East Coast such as roads and communication.

Break O’Day Mayor Michael Tucker said that lack of good road infrastructure was holding back development, particularly developers wanting to invest in much-needed accommodation.

Break O’ Day Business Enterprise Centre manager Nick Crawford asked about easier access to development funding for small business people.

Mr Hutchinson and Mr Robb toured the East Coast site of Abalone Farms Australia, at Bicheno, earlier in the day where director Jonathan Lillie and general manager Dean Broughan talked them through the operation of the fast-growing, international exporter.
Lyons MHR Eric Hutchinson.