Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Aussies urged to take leave, and consume

The federal Government will this week move to unlock Australian employees' $31bn in unused annual leave, in an attempt to provide a boost to the economy that would be three times bigger than the payments that start flowing today from the economic stimulus package.

Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said Tourism Australia would convene a round-table meeting with peak employer groups during the week to launch a campaign to "encourage people to organise their lives at work and at home to actually have a break, and to have a break here in Australia".

The "No Leave, No Life'' campaign would promote the concept that workers who took holidays come back to work "with greater energy and satisfaction in their lives and therefore, are better workers''.

Employers would benefit if staff took leave as it accrued, because it cost them progressively more to pay out in later years as wages and salaries rose.

Mr Ferguson has told recipients of the federal Government's economic stimulus payments they had a "responsibility'' to use the money to take a domestic holiday.

Australians should shun overseas destinations and inject some of the $10 billion of handouts into the local tourism industry, he said.

The Australian, December 8.

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