by Andy Young The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) has welcomed the Federal Government’s approval of laws which will prohibit gambling on the outcome of lotteries and Keno, by online companies such as Lottoland. The recent passing of the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Lottery Betting) Bill 2018 was supported by all sides of the House and AHA National CEO, Stephen Ferguson, praised all sides of Government for the move, which the association has been lobbying for. “Along with the Newsagents Association, Clubs and Tabcorp, the AHA has lobbied vigorously to have parasite gambling products such as Lottoland and Kenoland banned,” Ferguson told TheShout. “Kenoland
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Posts by AHA Communications
PROPOSED ONEMUSIC LICENCE FEES A CONCERN FOR HOTELIERS
by Vanessa Cavasinni In an effort to streamline the complex maze of music licence fees being paid to both APRA AMCOS and PPCA, the two organisations are in the middle of merging into one organisation, OneMusic Australia. As part of this process, the music licencing fee structures for hotels for everything from background to live music to music played in dining areas, is in the middle of being reviewed and overhauled. Hoteliers and the AHA are taking part in consultation on the new fee structure across Australia, with AHA CEO Stephen Ferguson stating that the aim is to create a simpler
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AHA PUSHES FOR INTERACTIVE GAMBLING ACT REFORM
by Andy Young The Australian Hotels Association has joined forces with ClubsNSW to push for a ban on betting on the outcome of a lottery – effectively shutting down the Lottoland online gambling business. Lottoland enables punters to bet on the outcome of a lottery and recently launched a new ‘Kenoland’ product, which enables Australians to bet on the results of overseas Keno draws. The CEO of the AHA, Stephen Ferguson, told TheShout that he was encouraging the Government to amend the Interactive Gambling Act. “In September 2017, the Federal Parliament passed reforms related to on line gambling as part of amendments to
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CALLS FOR BEER TAX INCREASE LABELLED ‘TREMENDOUSLY NAIVE’
Australia’s alcohol industry has dismissed a pre-Budget submission by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (Fare) as “tremendously naïve” and “misguided, lazy and flawed”. In its proposal Fare recommended volumetric tax changes to the Wine Equalisation Tax, an industry-wide 10 per cent increase on all alcohol tax as well as an increase in the tax rate on draught beer to bring it in line with the rates applied to packaged beer. However Stephen Ferguson, CEO of the Australian Hotels Association, told TheShouthe thought the Fare proposal was disappointing and naïve. “This demonstrates Fare’s one-size fits all approach to dealing with
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AHA WELCOMES NEW HEAD OF TABCORP’S WAGERING AND MEDIA BUSINESS
The Australian Hotels Association National Executive has congratulated Adam Rytenskild on his appointment as the new head of Tabcorp’s wagering and media business. “The Association welcomes Adam Rytenskild’s appointment and looks forward to working closely with him on continuing to enhance the services our members provide their customers,” AHA National President Scott Leach said today. “He is well known to many in our industry as a talented executive who has the interests of hotels at heart in delivering outcomes which work for venues and for Tabcorp. “We are pleased he is taking over the helm of the
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AHA WELCOMES FWC PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT RULING
The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) has welcomed the ruling by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) which will allows casual workers to demand a permanent full-time or part-time position. The FWC ruled that employees who work regular hours for over 12 months will be able to request a permanent job, although employers will be able to refuse the request on certain reasonable grounds. The AHA welcomed the ruling, with CEO Stephen Ferguson saying the announcement by the independent umpire was a ‘common-sense win’ for both employers and employees. “The Fair Work Commission agreed with the AHA submission that greater flexibility in
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AHA applauds FWC part-time employment decision
The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) has welcomed today’s decision by the Fair Work Commission to introduce flexible part-time employment in the hospitality industry. AHA CEO Stephen Ferguson said today’s announcement by the independent umpire was a ‘common-sense win’ for both employers and employees. “The Fair Work Commission agreed with the AHA submission that greater flexibility in part-time employment would be in the interests of both employee and employer,” Mr Ferguson said. “The FWC found that the current part-time provision was close to being a ‘dead letter’ and unworkable. This has traditionally seen a low percentage of part-time workers across our
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TABCORP EMERGES AS PREFERRED TATTS SUITOR
By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier This morning the Tatts board announced that they would not provide the Pacific Consortium the opportunity for due diligence. After review, the Tatts board has decided that the Pacific Consortium offer of $4.21 per share did not best the Tabcorp merger scheme, and will no longer engage with Pacific Consortium. “Accordingly Tatts’ Board continues to believe that the Proposed Tabcorp Merger is in the best interests of Tatts shareholders and unanimously recommends the Proposed Tabcorp Merger in the absence of a Superior Proposal and subject to an independent expert concluding that the Proposed Tabcorp Merger is
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INDUSTRY REACTS TO 457 VISA SCRAPPING
By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier Hoteliers and the wider hospitality industry are on edge, as they await more details in regards to the Federal Government’s 457 visa replacement. Yesterday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the scrapping of the 457 visa program, stating: “We are ensuring that Australian jobs and Australian values are first, placed first. During the press conference, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, announced that 457 visa will be replaced with two alternate visas, that do not foster as much agency for permanent residency. “What we propose is that under the Temporary Skills Shortage Visa short-term
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Australian hotels embrace connectivity
Australian hotels embrace connectivity, with 96% of hotels offering ‘free’ Wi-Fi An industry wide survey of 3, 4 and 5 star hotels and serviced apartments by Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) has revealed that 96% of Australian hotels surveyed* offer some level of free Wi-Fi to guests. Tourism Accommodation Australia represents the interests of hotels, motels and serviced apartment accommodation operators across Australia, including city, regional and remote areas. Responses from the survey revealed that: 99 per cent of hotels currently offer Wi-Fi as a service to guests. The majority of hotels (65 per cent) do not charge for some level of free Wi-Fi
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