In this policy update, we highlight important reports and initiatives that were announced in June and July 2026 that influence the Arts, Personal Services, Retail, Tourism, Hospitality and Vocational Education and Training (VET) sectors, as well as the broader economic landscape.

Australian Trade and Investment Commission – Australia’s Visitor Economy in 2025

In June, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) released its Australia’s Visitor Economy 2025 report, which found that Australians and international visitors continued to prioritise travel in 2025, reflecting strong demand for Australia’s tourism offerings.

Of relevance to SaCSA, the report identifies several workforce and industry trends:

• Tourism-related businesses recorded the strongest growth in Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Queensland, driven by growth in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, cultural services, and sports and recreation services.
• Tasmania and Victoria experienced declines in tourism-related businesses, particularly across accommodation, passenger transport, taxi transport, casinos and gambling services, and other retail trade.
• The five-year survival rate for tourism-related businesses was 56%, compared with 63% for all Australian businesses. Smaller tourism businesses recorded the lowest survival rates, with higher logistics, energy and insurance costs frequently cited as contributing factors.
• Employment growth in tourism during 2025 was led by the accommodation sector, alongside increases in cultural services, sports and recreation services, and air, water and other passenger transport industries.
• Employment declined in travel agencies, information centres, and casino and gambling services. These industries remain below their 2019 employment levels, highlighting the ongoing impact of workforce and skills shortages, economic conditions, and changing consumer preferences.
• Online job vacancies for tourism occupations surged following the pandemic but declined across both 2024 and 2025, indicating a moderation in labour demand.
• Jobs and Skills Australia’s Occupation Shortage List (OSL) continues to identify national shortages for tour guides, charter and tour bus drivers, travel consultants and cooks, as well as regional shortages for chefs, pastrycooks and flight attendants.
• Tourism and hospitality qualifications remained eligible under the Fee-Free TAFE program in 2025. Since the program commenced in 2023, there have been 27,815 enrolments and 11,305 course completions (to December 2025).
• Targeted apprenticeship incentive payments continue to support occupations including chefs, cooks, tour guides and travel agents. As of June 2025, there had been 4,225 apprenticeship commencements and 2,460 completions across tourism and hospitality.

Access the full report here

ABS – Quarterly Tourism Labour Statistics – March Quarter 2026

On 17 June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its latest Quarterly Tourism Labour Statistics for the March quarter 2026. The report provides estimates of quarterly tourism employment across tourism-related industries.

In the March quarter 2026, there were 726,800 tourism jobs, representing:

• 8,200 fewer jobs (-1.1%) than the December quarter 2025
• 29,500 more jobs (4.2%) than the March quarter 2025
• One in 22 filled jobs (4.5%) across the Australian economy

Key events that influenced Australia’s tourism sector during the March quarter 2026 included:

• Severe weather events, including cyclones, flooding and bushfires
• Major sporting events and several high-profile concerts
• Rising fuel prices, supply shortages and flight disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East
• Two increases to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s official cash rate

Access the full report here

Skills and Workforce Ministerial Council Communique – June 2026

On 19 June, Skills Ministers from across Australia met in Adelaide to progress shared priorities for Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) sector.

According to the Communique, Ministers endorsed the 2026 National TAFE Network Annual Workplan, which includes 17 projects that will benefit TAFEs in every jurisdiction. The projects span a range of focus areas and aim to strengthen the quality, relevance and accessibility of the VET system by enhancing skills recognition, supporting smoother workforce transitions, improving learner readiness and completion, and increasing access for cohorts facing structural barriers to training and employment.

Ministers also agreed to the legislative and policy amendments required to enable Phase 1 of the VET Data Streamlining (VDS) Program to commence in October 2026. As a key initiative under the National Skills Agreement’s Enhanced VET Data and Evidence Initiative, the VDS Program will improve the timeliness, quality and security of VET data submissions by Registered Training Organisations.

During the meeting, Ministers met with Professor Barney Glover AO, Interim Chief Commissioner of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC), to discuss progress towards the Tertiary Roadmap and the National Credit Recognition Framework.

The Communique also notes that Ministers agreed to further strengthen the quality and integrity of the VET system by investigating additional measures to build public confidence, support quality improvement and enhance system responsiveness.

As an immediate priority, Ministers agreed to progress work on a national data and information-sharing protocol to strengthen collaboration and regulatory intelligence sharing, with the aim of further enhancing regulatory practice.

Access the full Communique here

Tasmanian Access Strategy 2040

On 20 June, the Tasmanian Government released the Tasmanian Access Strategy 2040, outlining how it will work with partners to better align efforts and ensure Tasmania’s access system meets the needs of the entire state.

According to the Strategy, access is fundamental to Tasmania’s visitor economy, trade ambitions, agricultural exports, ability to attract and retain health and education workers, and the liveability of communities across every region.

The Strategy’s goal is to develop a strong air and sea access network that supports economic growth, enhances liveability, attracts visitors and contributes to Tasmania’s long-term prosperity.

It outlines the Tasmanian Government’s priorities for improving air and sea passenger and freight access into and throughout the state. Taking a whole-of-economy approach, the Strategy considers the needs of residents, visitors, businesses and regional communities, recognising that effective access underpins safety, connectivity and economic prosperity.

Access the full Strategy here

National TAFE Network – Annual Workplan 2026

On 22 June, the National TAFE Network (NTN) released its 2026 Annual Workplan, which provides a roadmap for implementing the priorities of the NTN Multilateral Implementation Plan and the National TAFE Network Strategic Plan 2025-2028. The Workplan aims to ensure coordinated action across jurisdictions and stakeholders while aligning with agreed national priorities.

Guided by the priorities of the NTN Strategic Plan and the principles of the Multilateral Implementation Plan, the Workplan includes:

• Core investments that support the NTN’s essential functions
• Scalable investments that deliver the NTN’s activities and initiatives

The Workplan was developed by the National TAFE Network Committee in collaboration with TAFEs and participating jurisdictions. It has been:

• Considered and agreed by the Skills Senior Officials’ Network by a majority of participating jurisdictions
• Endorsed by the Skills and Workforce Ministerial Council by a majority of participating jurisdictions

Access the Workplan here

NSW State Budget 2026-27

On 23 June, the Treasurer of New South Wales handed down the 2026-27 NSW State Budget, which was framed around providing immediate cost-of-living relief while delivering long-term reforms to strengthen the state’s future.

Despite ongoing financial challenges, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to the two fiscal principles introduced in the 2023-24 Budget to guide the State’s fiscal strategy:

• Returning to a sustainable debt position
• Stabilising and maintaining a sustainable debt position

Of interest to SaCSA, the Budget includes the following initiatives:

Skills and training

• A joint $100 million investment by the Australian and NSW governments under the National Skills Agreement to expand First Nations vocational education and training (VET) in NSW. The funding will strengthen Aboriginal Community Controlled and First Nations-owned training organisations and support outreach training in local communities.
• Continued support for the National TAFE Network to deliver contemporary and innovative training in critical industries.
• $233.2 million in capital investment for TAFE campus upgrades, maintenance and revitalisation.

Creative industries, tourism, hospitality and sport

• Continued delivery of the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2035.
• $29.3 million to support the NSW contemporary music sector.
• Delivery of the Creative Communities Policy and arts sub-sector strategies.
• $25 million for the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner.
• $22.5 million to develop the State Library of NSW rooftop, doubling the area accessible to the public.
• $4.6 million additional funding for the Arts and Culture Funding Program.
• $4.6 million for the Naala Nura courtyard garden project at the Art Gallery of NSW.
• Support for local tourism businesses and job creation through the establishment of the Great Koala National Park.

Small business

• Establishment of a small business advisory program to succeed the Business Connect program.

Access the Budget papers here

Queensland State Budget 2026-27

On 23 June, the Treasurer of Queensland handed down the 2026-27 Queensland State Budget, which is framed around strengthening the foundations laid by the Government to improve community safety, restore health services, ease cost-of-living pressures and deliver generational infrastructure across the state.

The Budget acknowledges that Queensland’s economy will face significant headwinds in 2026-27, including higher underlying national inflation, rising interest rates, a national fuel crisis, global conflict driving commodity price increases, and increasing cost shifting from the Australian Government, all of which are contributing to ongoing cost pressures.

Of interest to SaCSA, the Budget includes the following initiatives:

Skills and training

• $201.1 million over three years to progress four new TAFE Centres of Excellence in Rockhampton, Caloundra, Petrie and Moreton Bay.
• Continued implementation of the Right Skills Strategy 2025-2028, a more than $5 billion investment to address skills shortages, support existing and emerging industries, and align training with industry needs. The strategy aims to create 430,000 new jobs by 2028 while supporting workers to upskill, reskill and transition across industries.
• An additional $149 million in 2026-27 to expand apprenticeships in critical industries, strengthen public training providers’ capacity to deliver skills in demand, and improve access to training in regional communities.

Tourism

• Continued delivery of the Destination 2045 plan, supported by a $1 billion investment over four years from 2025-26, to unlock new tourism opportunities, including ecotourism experiences in Queensland’s national parks.
• $330.5 million over five years to protect the Great Barrier Reef by improving water quality and reducing agricultural run-off.
• Continued investment in nature-based tourism through the development of 45 new ecotourism experiences across Queensland’s national parks by 2045.
• $139 million over four years to expand World Class Protected Areas, deliver visitor infrastructure and ecotourism projects across national parks, and progress the next stage of the Wangetti Trail.

Small business

• $11.5 million over three years to support micro-credential courses that help small businesses upskill workers.
• $16.8 million over three years for the Small Business Support Network to provide financial counselling and business coaching.
• $19 million over four years for the Small Business Apprenticeship Pilot Program to help small businesses cover apprentice wages during offsite training.
• $100 million to support small and family businesses through training, improved access to government procurement, reduced red tape and easier access to government services under the Small and Family Business First Action Statement.
• $16 million for the Regional Business Gateways program to strengthen regional business opportunities through support for chambers of commerce, councils, industry, trade and business networks.
• Continued rollout of the $40 million Secure Communities Partnership Program to improve safety and help prevent crime affecting small businesses and community facilities.

Access the full Budget papers here

NSW Small Business Commissioner – Small Business Momentum Survey – May 2026

On 24 June, the NSW Small Business Commissioner released the Small Business Momentum Survey for May 2026, which shows a modest improvement in sentiment among small businesses across New South Wales, although confidence remains historically low.

According to the Survey, confidence in individual business prospects increased by three percentage points to 17%, following two consecutive monthly declines. While this represents an improvement from the record low recorded in April, confidence remains below levels observed during the COVID-19 pandemic (24%).

Confidence in the performance of the local economy remained unchanged at 7%, reflecting ongoing inflationary pressures, the impacts of the Australian Government’s Federal Budget, and continued economic uncertainty associated with the conflict in the Middle East.

Access the full Survey results here

Northern Territory – Digital Future Strategy 2026-2028

On 26 June, the Northern Territory Government released the Digital Future Strategy 2026-2028, which focuses on building digital capability across the Territory and is the first Northern Territory digital strategy to include artificial intelligence (AI).

The Strategy highlights the role of AI in helping businesses streamline operations, improve efficiency, drive innovation and support growth. It also recognises AI’s potential to enhance learning and support Territorians in their everyday lives through smart devices and online services.

The Strategy focuses on the opportunities presented by technology and digital transformation, while drawing on innovation occurring across the globe.

It aims to build the digital skills and confidence of Territorians to help them harness emerging opportunities and prepare for future jobs. The Strategy also seeks to encourage private investment in digital infrastructure, positioning the Northern Territory as a digital hub between Australia and Asia.

In addition, the Government will support small and medium-sized businesses to strengthen their cybersecurity and digital resilience.

Read the full Strategy here

WA Small Business Development Corporation – Strategic Plan 2026-30

On 8 July, the Western Australia Small Business Development Corporation released its Strategic Plan 2026-2030, which outlines the WA Government’s focus on diversifying and strengthening the state’s economic base to ensure long-term prosperity and opportunity.

The Plan highlights Western Australia’s strong economic position, noting that the state continues to hold a AAA credit rating from both major ratings agencies and maintains one of the lowest unemployment rates in Australia.

It also notes that the WA Government’s Made in WA Plan relies on a strong and enterprising small business sector, with small businesses accounting for 97% of all businesses in the state. The sector has also grown by 15.3% between 2020 and 2025.

The Plan outlines initiatives to improve the operating environment for small businesses through dispute resolution services, policy advice and reform initiatives that support sector growth. It also commits to undertaking inquiries into unfair or harmful practices affecting small businesses.

Access the full Plan here

NSW Small Business Commissioner – Small Business Momentum Survey June 2026

On 16 July, the NSW Small Business Commissioner released the Small Business Momentum Survey for June 2026, which shows a slight decline in sentiment among small businesses across New South Wales.

The online survey, conducted between 1 and 30 June 2026, received responses from 710 small businesses, with 47% of respondents located in regional and rural New South Wales. The results show that confidence remains historically low and below levels recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Survey found that confidence in individual business prospects declined by one percentage point to 16%, remaining subdued.

Confidence in the performance of the local economy, however, improved by two percentage points to 9%, rebounding from the record low recorded in the previous month.

Overall, the Survey suggests that business confidence remains weak, reflecting ongoing inflationary pressures, global conflict, and continuing regulatory and economic uncertainty.

Read the full results of the survey here

JSA – Partial VET completion: Insights on outcomes and pathways

On 3 June, JSA released its report, Partial VET completion: Insights on outcomes and pathways, which examines the employment, income and income support outcomes of vocational education and training (VET) students who partially complete a qualification.

According to the report, it has historically been difficult to consistently measure outcomes for VET partial completers. By linking administrative records for more than 900,000 domestic students, the report provides new insights into how learners who complete part of a qualification transition into the labour market.

The report found that, on average, partial completion is associated with improved employment and income outcomes, as well as increased participation in further education and training.

While completing a qualification remains the strongest pathway to improved outcomes across the VET system, the findings provide a more nuanced understanding of non-completion by demonstrating that partial completion can also lead to positive outcomes.

Overall, the report concludes that although completing a full VET qualification delivers the greatest benefits, acquiring skills through VET can still improve labour market outcomes, even where a qualification is not formally completed.

Read the full report here

JSA – Skills, Mobility and Productivity: Why Australia needs a skills-first tertiary education system

On 17 June, JSA released its paper, Skills, Mobility and Productivity: Why Australia needs a skills-first tertiary education system.

The paper argues that the pace of technological change, the growing importance of skills in labour market outcomes, and increasingly non-linear career pathways require more than incremental reform. Instead, it calls for a redesign of the architecture that underpins how learning is recognised, valued and translated into opportunity.

It proposes a stronger focus on skills alongside qualifications, arguing that this approach can enhance labour market mobility, improve inclusion and strengthen productivity.

The paper concludes that the challenge is not to choose between skills and qualifications, but to better integrate them within a coherent, human-centred tertiary education system. It identifies the need for greater flexibility within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), clearer articulation of the skills embedded within qualifications, and the development of shared infrastructure, including a National Skills Taxonomy, to improve consistency, transparency and workforce mobility.

Read the recommendations and access the full paper here

JSA – Vacancy Report – May 2026

On 24 June, JSA released its latest Vacancy Report, a monthly measure of online job advertisements across the SEEK, CareerOne and Workforce Australia job boards.

According to the Report, online job advertisements fell by 3.3% in May 2026, continuing the recent pattern of modest monthly fluctuations and suggesting the medium-term decline observed between June 2022 and early 2025 may be slowing.

Despite the monthly decline, labour demand remains elevated, with online job advertisements around 20% higher than the 2019 monthly average. Vacancy levels also remain historically high.

Recruitment activity declined across all states and territories during the month, with the largest decreases recorded in the Northern Territory (down 11.7%), followed by South Australia (down 6.6%) and Queensland (down 6.0%).

The Report also found that job advertisements declined across all skill levels and major occupation groups. Recruitment activity continued to be concentrated in metropolitan Australia, with 70.3% of online job advertisements located in Australia’s capital cities during May 2026.

Access the Report here

JSA – Australian Jobs 2026

On 30 June, JSA released its annual Australian Jobs 2026 report, which provides an overview of Australia’s labour market, occupations, industries, workforce skills and career pathways. The report is designed to support informed career, training and workforce decisions by providing insights into employment trends, skills needs, education pathways and future job opportunities.

Key findings from the report include:

• In 2025, 70% of Australians aged 15 to 74 held, or were studying towards, a post-school qualification, up from 64% a decade earlier.
• Nearly 90% of advertised jobs required a post-school qualification, with around 50% requiring a vocational education and training (VET) qualification and almost 40% requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• More than 5 million students participated in VET during 2024, with over 3.5 million enrolled in training outside a full qualification.
• 62% of VET graduates improved their employment status after completing training in 2024.
• Australia’s labour market grew moderately over the year to December 2025, with employment increasing by 165,400 people (1.1%) to 14.68 million. Around 60% of this growth was in full-time employment.
• The national unemployment rate was 4.1% in December 2025, while the participation rate remained relatively high at 66.7%.

Of interest to SaCSA:

• More than half of workers in the Accommodation and Food Services and Retail Trade industries do not hold post-school qualifications. These industries often provide an important entry point into the workforce, creating opportunities to gain experience while undertaking further training or qualifications.
• Workers without post-school qualifications account for 62% of employment in Accommodation and Food Services and 56% in Retail Trade.
• Young workers are employed across all industries but are particularly concentrated in Accommodation and Food Services (around 450,000 workers) and Retail Trade (around 440,000 workers).
• Young workers are most commonly employed in occupations that do not typically require post-school qualifications, often while studying or undertaking training. These include Sales Assistants (General) (around 308,200 workers), Waiters (around 88,800), Kitchenhands (around 78,600), and Bar Attendants and Baristas (around 65,800).

Access the full report here

JSA – Occupation Mobility Graph – Labour Market Efficiency – July 2026

On 2 July, JSA released a new report on occupation mobility, which examines how workers move between occupations across the Australian labour market.

The report found that occupational mobility is clustered, with some occupations acting as key gateways that connect workers to a broad range of other roles. It also highlights that mobility patterns vary across industries, with some sectors characterised by structured, sequential career pathways and limited lateral movement, while others provide more fluid and interconnected transitions between occupations.

Of particular interest to SaCSA, the report identifies Sales Assistant (General) as a prime example of an occupation that facilitates workforce mobility. As Australia’s most common occupation, it has significant inflows from and outflows to a wide range of other occupations, illustrating how workers transition between roles throughout their careers.

With an estimated workforce of around 559,800 people and a median age of 23 years, the occupation serves as a common entry point for young workers, enabling them to develop transferable customer service and frontline skills. These characteristics make it a useful example for understanding occupational mobility and the connections between different parts of the labour market.

Access the report here

NCVER – Apprentice and trainees 2025: December Quarter

On 22 June, the NCVER released its latest report, Apprentices and Trainees 2025: December Quarter, which presents data on apprenticeship and traineeship training contracts as at 31 December 2025.

The report shows that the number of active apprenticeship and traineeship contracts continued to decline across both trade and non-trade occupations nationally, reflecting changes to government incentives and softer labour market conditions.

As at 31 December 2025, there were 282,430 active (in-training) apprenticeship and traineeship contracts, with almost three-quarters in trade occupations. Overall, in-training contracts decreased by 8.6% compared with 31 December 2024, comprising a 5.2% decline in trade contracts and a 17.1% decline in non-trade contracts.

Key findings from the report include:

• Trade apprenticeship and traineeship completions have continued an upward trend since December 2023, while non-trade completions have continued to decline.
• Trade apprentices and trainees in training remain concentrated in a relatively small number of occupation groups.
• As of 31 December 2025, Community and Personal Service Workers, Machinery Operators and Drivers, and Clerical and Administrative Workers accounted for around 78% of all non-trade in-training contracts.
• Apprentice and trainee contracts in training declined across all states and territories in the 12 months to 31 December 2025, with larger decreases recorded in non-trade occupations.
• Consistent with broader trends, the number of apprentices and trainees in training declined across all key demographic groups over the same period.
• Employment remained concentrated in the construction industry for trade occupations, while non-trade apprenticeships and traineeships were primarily concentrated in the service industries.

Access the full Report here

NCVER – Government-funded students and courses 2025

On 30 June, the NCVER released its report, Government-funded Students and Courses 2025, covering government-funded vocational education and training (VET) activity between 1 January and 31 December 2025.

Compared with 2024, the report found:

• 1,137,645 students, a decrease of 82,170 (6.7%)
• 1,310,845 program enrolments, a decrease of 132,545 (9.2%)
• 1,106,240 qualification enrolments, a decrease of 116,770 (9.5%)
• 350,800 qualification completions, a decrease of 16,740 (4.6%)

The report also found that both commencing and continuing program enrolments declined in 2025 compared with 2024, with commencing enrolments falling by 11%, a larger decrease than the 6.2% decline in continuing enrolments.

Overall, the decline in enrolments was driven by reduced activity in nationally recognised qualifications and short courses, which account for most government-funded program activity.

In contrast, locally developed and non-nationally recognised programs recorded growth in continuing enrolments and, to a lesser extent, commencing enrolments compared with 2024.

Nationally, program enrolments declined at both TAFE institutes (10.6%) and private training providers (12.6%). However, enrolments increased slightly (5.3%) among other provider types, driven primarily by schools and universities.

Access the full report here

 

We encourage our stakeholders to delve deeper into these reports and strategies to understand their potential impact and leverage them in planning and decision-making. As always, we remain committed to supporting a vibrant and sustainable workforce across all industries.

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Author: Shane Kocass, Policy and Government Relations Adviser at SaCSA, analyses government policies, fosters meaningful engagement with government stakeholders, and assists in navigating the complex policy landscape to drive impactful outcomes.