John Morse, Chairman Tourism Victoria under Opposition and media scrutiny!

Reports in today’s Melbourne Herald Sun are questioning the role of John Morse as Chairman of Tourism Victoria and in particular that he lives in Sydney and the cost of that to Victorian taxpayers.

The report says that Mr Morse, the Chairman of Tourism Victoria, spends taxpayer dollars flying to and from Melbourne for key meetings and while his organisation’s slogan is “You’ll Love Every Piece of Victoria”, Mr Morse prefers Sydney’s Potts Point.

It also highlights that he has been paid about $40,000 a year to chair the board since 2001.

Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos responded though that he didn’t mind that Victoria’s tourism ambassador was a Sydneysider, saying “We want the best people possible to help grow the Victorian tourism industry, regardless of where they live.”

Nevertheless, The Herald Sun also says that Mr Morse has presided over a decline in the number of tourists to Victoria, with one million fewer overnight stays in the 12 months to March 2006 – despite the Commonwealth Games.

The Herald Sun has been hard at work searching document available under Freedom of Information showing:

Mr Morse flew business class from Sydney to Melbourne 14 times in one year, billing taxpayers $918 for each trip;

When in Melbourne, Mr Morse stayed at the Crown Towers Hotel or the Collins St Sofitel and wined and dined at some of Melbourne’s most exclusive restaurants;

Mr Morse received free accommodation at the Sofitel for the Australian Open;

Taxpayers were charged for drinks at Fidel’s cigar bar at Crown;

He also charged $50 for valet parking at the airport; and

On one trip, Mr Morse flew from Perth to Sydney, via Melbourne, at a cost of $2520 to Victorian taxpayers.

The Herald Sun says that Mr Morse was in Arnhem Land yesterday and could not return calls to the Herald Sun.

Tourism Victoria’s Annual Report for 2005-06 says travel within Victoria fell by 8.7% and has been in decline since 1999, with about 6,700 fewer international holiday visitors to Victoria and overnight visitors falling by 6% in the year ending March 2006.

In the Annual Report, Mr Morse said it was easier for Australians to “spend their cash on a plasma television or sound system”.

Mr Morse was appointed Chairman in 2001 and has lived in Sydney throughout that time and is former Managing Director of the Australian Tourist Commission and worked on the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games team.

But Victorian Opposition spokesman Richard Dalla-Riva said Mr Morse’s appointment was another example of the Government being out of touch, adding, “The Head of Tourism obviously leads by example, the problem is he’s always leaving Victoria.”

He added, “Yet another example of just how out of touch the Bracks Government has become, I just wonder if it dawned on anyone in the Bracks Government that Victoria’s top tourism boss actually lives in another state.”

Mr Pandazopoulos said Mr Morse was a highly qualified Chairman, adding, “Tourism globally is highly competitive and Victoria has benefited from having John’s expertise, international experience and national perspective.”

Mr Pandazopoulos also denied tourism was declining in Victoria, saying that “The tourism industry in Victoria has grown by 49% since 1999, providing $10.9 billion annual economic activity to Victoria and helping employ 159,000 people”.

Tourism Victoria CEO Greg Hywood said it was a coup to have Mr Morse as its chairman, adding “He does, by coming from Sydney, give an outside perspective and quite frankly, tourism is such an important industry for Victoria that we can’t afford to be parochial.” “We have to get the best and John’s credentials for the job are fantastic.”

The Mole’s editorial comments: John Morse possesses excellent credentials for the job and is a high profile personality in the industry, achieving associated high profile recognition and exposure for Victoria. 

He does a great job and where he lives does not matter a jot. 

John King the excellent former Chairman of Tourism Tasmania and now Chairman of ATEC lives in Sydney!

This Opposition “whingeing” is another example of the parochialism from which the Australian tourism industry suffers, in its current structure of massive duplication between States and between State and Federal Government tourism and of course all the time spending taxpayers’ money!  Let’s worry about doing the job and getting the best people to do it not whingeing about it.

Well done Victoria for securing John Morse’ services and it is a pity that NSW was not able to snap up someone of John Morse’ calibre to be the figurehead for its industry, because if it had, the NSW tourism business might be in better condition!

Report and editorial commetn by The Mole