Tuesday, 1 April 2025

Eastern Victoria Region

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (13:03): (1503) My question is to the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, and I ask the minister: what will he do in the state budget to support tourist caravan parks in my Eastern Victoria Region, which have been negatively impacted by the government’s so-called free camping policy? Tourist caravan parks play a crucial role in driving our local economy, supporting local employment and fostering community engagement. But now they have been forced to compete with the government’s national parks free camping sites, which contradicts its own competitive neutrality. In fact some caravan parks have been asked to match the government’s free camping. These are businesses, for goodness sake, and they are struggling. It is time for a level playing field and it is time for the minister to outline how he will support these businesses in my Eastern Victoria Region.