After revealing last week that a federal government announcement for sector-specific support was imminent, the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has provided an update on the process.
AFTA told Travel Weekly that its chief executive, Darren Rudd, is currently in Canberra for his fourth straight week, where he is continuing the dialogue with the government and its multiple agencies around the rescue package.
“The process is frustratingly slow, but very much still underway, and we are all working extremely hard to secure this critical funding with meetings and the ongoing provision of data and extensive modelling to assist with scenario planning,” AFTA said in a statement.
“The process is slow because there are multiple government agencies, processes and approval processes involved.
“Pleasingly, our engagement with parliamentarians within Cabinet now exceeds 76 per cent,” which AFTA said was a result of its National Mobilisation Program and planned electoral visits.
Travel Weekly was told that AFTA’s chief executive has received assurance that an announcement by the government is imminent, but as Rudd noted last week at Travel DAZE 2020, the specific details of the support package are still unknown.
The federation has opted for a 12-month – rather than an 18-month – bridge back to business, and essentially moved from a $125 million ask for sector-specific support to a $250 million ask.
Featured image source: iStock/Talaj
