• Thousands of international and domestic tourists are expected to witness the natural phenomenon when the sun, moon and earth align at 11.27am on April 20, 2023.
•  The State Government has committed $19.3 million for Total Solar Eclipse preparation in addition to mid-year review funding, which brings the total spend to more than $21 million 
• The funding is for Beach, road and telecommunications upgrades for Exmouth region

 
Exmouth has been identified as the best land-based place in the world to view the eclipse, with the Exmouth Peninsula set to experience full darkness.
 
Other locations around WA will see a partial solar eclipse, including Perth witnessing a 70 per cent eclipse, Geraldton about 80 per cent, Carnarvon 95 per cent, Karratha 97 per cent and Coral Bay 99 per cent.
 
While the actual eclipse is relatively short, Tourism WA expects visitors to stay in the region for around five days.
 
Thousands of tourists are expected to visit Ningaloo Coastal Reserve, Ningaloo Marine Park, Montebello Marine Park, Pilbara Inshore Islands, Cape Range National Park, Barrow Island Marine Management Area and the Giralia Station.
 
Read the full media statement here

Apprentices
Apprentices in high-demand industries (including Chefs) will get up to $5000 in cash payments for the first two years of their training but wage subsidies will be scaled back for employers.
The renamed Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Scheme has been re targeted so that apprentices, as well as employers, receive financial incentives.
Under the scheme, from July 1 employers in “priority occupations” will receive 10 per cent wage subsidy for first and second-year apprentices and 5 per cent for third years. The subsidy caps out at $15,000. Employers in regional areas will receive an additional 5 per cent wage subsidy for each of the three years of an apprentice’s training.
In a measure aimed at tackling dropout rates among young tradies, those aged between 15 and 20 will receive a follow-up call within three months of starting their apprenticeships to iron out any early issues and the government will fund 2500 more in-training support places.
Tourism Research
The Budget allocates $2 million for a new “visitor economy online employment and skills platform” as well as $4.8 million for Tourism Research Australia “to capture and analyse more tourism and visitor data to help businesses operating in the visitor economy make improved business decisions,”
Working Holiday makers
To help address skills shortages, the current caps on Working Holiday Makers will have a one off 30% increase in 2022/23.
Training
With the aim of encouraging small businesses to train new staff and upskill existing employees, small businesses that invest in training new employees will receive a $120 tax deduction for every $100 spent on training employees.
Read the budget papers here

WAITOC, in partnership with Breakaway Tourism has developed the Aboriginal Tourism Academy (ATA).
The ATA is a customised program for tourism business development and professional development for staff. It aims to meet the needs of new and existing Aboriginal tourism operators across Western Australia, including training/skilling, strategic marketing assistance, product/service development, and mentoring.
This follows from the success of previous programs where WAITOC partnered with The City of Perth.
WAITOC encourages all interested individuals, businesses and organisations to work together to help grow Western Australia's unique Aboriginal cultural tourism industry. Through committed partnerships, all stakeholders will benefit and communities in our state will begin to prosper.
Learn more about partnering with WAITOC by downloading the Local Government Prospectus: WAITOC Partnership Packages 2020

There is significant government investment in trails tourism currently underway across the State.
 
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) is working closely with Parks and Wildlife and Trails WA to deliver a Trail Town accreditation program in targeted communities interested in trails tourism.
The towns of Collie and Dwellingup are well on their way to becoming recognised Trail Towns and are already “must do” locations, particularly for mountain bike and hiking enthusiasts.

In addition, the Great Southern Centre for Outdoor Recreation Excellence Regional Trails Master Plan was released on 18 September.
The Master Plan focuses on a range of trail experiences suited to different user groups, including user needs for trail-related products and services, across the Great Southern.
It focuses on active leisure trails which involve an outdoor recreation element. This includes terrestrial trails (walking/hiking, trail running, cycling, mountain biking, and adventure bike riding) as well as aquatic trails (paddling a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard, and snorkeling/diving). It includes a drive trail which link together a series of ‘active nodes’, as well as heritage and cultural trails.
For a comprehensive list of the State’s trails network, visit Trails WA
 
The department will be hosting a Trails Forum in Dwellingup on Friday 20 November 2020.
This will provide an opportunity for the trails sector to network and learn more about trail developments across the State including outcomes from the WA Hiking Strategy, Trail Towns progress and best practices in trail planning.

The State Government has announced one of the most significant investments in sport and community infrastructure in Western Australian history, with a $300 million package as part of the government's $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan.  The funding consists of:

• $130 million package to upgrade sport facilities, including grassroots clubs and high performance facilities
• $170 million to upgrade local community facilities across the State

The historic plan will benefit a range of projects throughout the State and create a pipeline of WA jobs, with local small businesses and contractors also set to benefit. 
Read more about this funding. For the full list of projects, visit http://inthistogether.wa.gov.au

The state government has made several announcements recently related to projects in the South West, including a $4.4 million investment into tourism initiatives in Collie. Funding will go towards town upgrades, wayfinding, and tourist amenity, as well as business development and new visitor infrastructure at Wellington Dam, which is set become the centrepiece of the $1.5 million Collie Mural Trail.

The Collie Mural Trail will feature a number of smaller murals throughout the Collie township, with work currently underway to finalise the location of murals and appointment of local artists. The lead artist for the Wellington Dam mural has been announced as Australian artist Guido Van Helton.

Other visitor attractions in the region, Lake Kepwari’s recreation hub and the Arklow mountain bike trails, are also due to open this year. Media statements:

• $4.4 million to Collie tourism injection as world-renowned artist selected to paint Wellington Dam
• Adventure awaits with new Collie mountain bike trails

Tourism WA will extend the deadline for applications for the Tourism Business Survival Grant to 4pm Monday July 13, 2020.
Applicants who have already submitted an application can re-open, review, amend and re-submit their application if they would like to.
Full details on the Tourism Business Survival Grant, including the Grant Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions, can be found on Tourism WA’s corporate website.

The Aboriginal Tourism Academy (Round 1), developed by the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC) and Breakaway Tourism, and funded by program partners Indigenous Business Australia, City of Perth and the City of South Perth, is launching in July 2020.
The Aboriginal Tourism Academy is seeking expressions of interest from established ‘Emerging’ (operating less than 2 years), ‘Market Ready’ (operating for more than 2 years), and ‘Export Ready’ (operating over 3 years, contracted to international trade markets) Aboriginal tourism businesses in Western Australia that aspire to access the support, business/professional development, mentoring and industry networks required to operate successfully in the domestic and international Western Australian tourism industry. Applications close Friday, 19th June 2020. For more information, contact:
Rob Taylor, CEO WAITOC at ceo@waitoc.com or P: 0419 921 946
Michelle Sidebottom at michelle@breakawaytourism.com.au or P: 0419 904 691
Application form 

The Department of Training and Workforce Development will cover training costs for more than 3,000 apprentices and trainees who have had their contracts cancelled or suspended. Fees have been scrapped to enable apprentices and trainees to continue their training 'off the job' for up to six months.
More than half of the apprentices and trainees impacted so far are in hospitality, tourism, wholesale and retail services, personal services, finance, property and business services, and building and construction.
Fees will be paid directly to training providers, available from July 1, 2020.
Media statement.

Regional Arts Australia have announced the details of The Recovery Boost funding scheme for individual creative practitioners and organisations in regional, remote and rural Australia. The funding is a one off investment provided by the Commonwealth Government which recognises the central role the arts play in supporting cohesive, thriving communities in regional Australia.  The funding which is designed to meet immediate, medium and long term activity through Relief, Recovery and Renewal stages includes a broad range of criteria including professional development and training programs.  Further information can be found here.