The first board meeting of the nation’s peak accommodation body – Accommodation Australia (AA) – has been held at Parliament House, Canberra.

Member issues including migration, industrial relations, vocational education and training and short-term rentals dominated discussion.

A proposed $5 hotel bed tax in Victoria was another important topic at the meeting which brought together respected accommodation leaders from across Australia.

Federal Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles was a special guest at the end of the inaugural meeting speaking on a range of issues.

“It was fantastic to host the first-ever board meeting of Accommodation Australia at Parliament House – this was the culmination of years of hard work by many people and it was great to see the dream finally become a reality,” AA Chair Leanne Harwood said.

“To have Minister Giles make time to attend and speak directly to board members on a range of issues was the perfect end to the day.”

AA CEO Michael Johnson said the mooted bed tax in Victoria saw a lot of discussion.

“Board members rightly saw the proposal as an unfair new tax on hotels and tourists at a time the sector still hasn’t recovered from the impacts on COVID,” he said.

“The proposed tax should be on the actual short-term rental market contributing to the lack of housing in Victoria – not on hotels which have nothing to do with the rental problems.”

Other important issues discussed included the importance of Chinese tourism and the international student cap.