AUSTRALIA'S new peak body for the caravanning industry has swung into
action and is looking forward to building a stronger relationship between
industry and government.
Celebratory lunches last month marked the first day of business for new
nationwide Caravan Industry Association of Australia.
The fledgling association is the result of merging the longstanding
Caravan, RV & Accommodation Industry of Australia and RVM Australia.
"It's all going well," a spokeswoman told Caravanning News. "We've even
been using the correct name when answering the 'phones."
Chief executive Stuart Lamont said the new organisation presented a chance
for the industry to take a more proactive role in its own development.
It would work to ensure the growth of the industry as a whole.
"The Caravan Industry Association of Australia will have a single and
powerful national voice that we will bring to discussions with both media
and government," he said.
Five pillars will form the basis of operations:
* Marketing of the industry to consumers
* Research on and for the industry
* Lobbying and advocacy on behalf of the industry
* Training and education, including the hosting of the 2015 World RV
Conference in Melbourne
* Compliance and accreditation
With the termination of the T-QUAL accreditation program last month, the
association said it was committed to creating an industry-led
accreditation program to help fill the void and boost consumer confidence.
"Our whole-of-industry approach will result in much needed, unified
accreditation and compliance activities that will encourage consistently
high standards of quality across both the parks and trades sectors of the
industry," Mr Lamont said.
The new organisation will also act to fill the void in research created in
2010 when the ABS Survey of Tourist Accommodation stopped reporting
caravanning and holiday park industry statistics.
To make up for the limited data being made available to government on the
size and success of the caravanning and holiday park industry, the new
body would forge ahead with a raft of research activities, Mr Lamont
said.
"We have set ourselves many goals for the first year of operation, and
with the industry behind us we are confident we will succeed," he added.
