The Australian Labor Party National Conference (held at the end of July, 2009) passed a motion supporting the work of The First Star. The motion calls on the tourism industry to adopt more ethical approaches to its environmental and labour standards.
Check out the resolution below:
National Conference notes that the tourism industry and its employees face challenges from the combined effects of the Global Recession and dangerous climate change.
Employees in the tourism industry already experience low wages and poor career paths, and are now being asked by many employers in the industry to carry the costs of downturns in tourism through lower wages and “WorkChoices” agreements.
This National Conference believes workers in these jobs need the protections provided by Labor’s Forward with Fairness policy. Labor’s new laws offer hope for these workers to bargain for higher productivity and better jobs.
Additionally, the tourism industry and accommodation hotels in particular have significant exposure to risks associated with climate change, including:
- reliance on international travel which will increase in cost as fossil fuels become scarcer;
- reliance on natural assets which may be threatened by climate change, including The Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu; and
- exposure in coastal and low-lying areas to erosion, rising sea levels and increases in dramatic weather events.
National Conference also notes that while some in the tourism industry have adopted “towel recycling” programs and self-accredited themselves as “green”, there is not currently widespread adoption of practices to reduce the environmental impact of their activities.
This National Conference calls on the tourism industry to adopt more ethical approaches to its environmental and labour standards. Labor believes the Australian community expects corporate citizens to treat their workers fairly and to do everything reasonably possible to minimise their impact on the environment.
Labor supports efforts to inform consumers about the labour and environment standards of accommodation hotels, including through the “First Star” initiative which encourages businesses to better reflect community expectations in relation to fair employment and action on climate change.
