Caravan Industry Association of Australia urges all political parties to acknowledge the opportunities that a strong Australian camping and caravanning industry offers to the economy when considering their final appeals to voters on May 21.
The industry has proven resilient throughout the COVID-19 crisis. It is poised to lead in automotive manufacturing and tourism as Australia recovers.
They have proposed a straightforward four-point policy to create highly leveraged returns for the Australian recovery in investment, employment, and economic activities.
As the platform launches today, Caravan Industry Association of Australia CEO Stuart Lamont said there is no better time than now for the government to look for strategic investments and sound policies in the traditional sectors, seeking to develop, invest and shift to the emerging economy, built on what is already a solid base.
“Caravan and camping in Australia are too often looked at as a comfort recreational activity, as opposed to an economic powerhouse which delivers across manufacturing, retailing, tourism, and affordable housing,” said Lamont.
“Caravan and camping is enjoyed by all – rich, poor, young, old and offer social and health benefits on top of the economic return through employment and visitor expenditure. Caravanning retains a strong manufacturing base (despite broader automotive manufacturing largely moving off-shore), while also being the most popular accommodation choice in Australia for holidaying, and the most popular accommodation choice in regional Australia irrespective of the purpose of travel.”
The following four themes headline the policy platform:
- Strengthening Australia’s Sovereign Manufacturing (scaling and adopting new technology and the development of an RV innovation hub including consumer education and inspection facilities);
- Supercharging Australian Tourism for Recovery (maintaining a role for Tourism Australia in the domestic market, labor force solutions for hard to staff regional areas, and insurance reform for caravan parks);
- Future-Proofing the Caravan and Camping Industry (land lease communities supporting affordable housing, co-investment in regional tourist accommodation, energy efficiency scheme for industry, and measurement of CO2 emissions); and
- Improving Road Safety Outcomes (industry education campaign to transition to RVSA and safer vehicles, a national caravan safety check program, and a safer driver activation).
Camping and caravanning locations are ideally spread throughout Australia and are stunning backdrops to policy announcements during the campaign.
Caravan Industry Association of Australia will also invite all major political parties to discuss their policies for campers and caravanning consumers post-election and pledges to disseminate this during the final week before the campaign to more than 500,000 consumer databases.
Isn’t it amazing how the Aussie caravan industry is stepping up big time? They’re not only giving the economy a boost but also leading the charge in eco-friendly manufacturing. And hey, kudos to them for making our roads safer while they’re at it! That’s some forward-thinking goodness right there!