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The Accommodation Association of Australia (AAoA) today announced Michael Johnson will be supporting the existing team as interim CEO in the lead-up to the proposed amalgamation with Tourism Accommodation Australia[1] expected to be completed mid-2023,This follows Friday’s key milestone of both the Accommodation Association Council and Australian Hotels Association Board separately agreeing the Scheme of Amalgamation to create the new, united peak body, Accommodation Australia, subject to a member vote and a couple of regulatory steps.

Recruitment for the inaugural CEO role for Accommodation Australia is already under way.

Quote attributable to Accommodation Association President Leanne Harwood:
“Michael will primarily be focused on our core business, ensuring we maintain our focus on Advocacy, National Policy, and delivering services and events that add value for our members. His parallel role with TAA will greatly assist in alignment across these areas.”

“Cass Champion will continue to lead our RTP business with a focus on attracting, training and placing talent, and our career development pathways in hospitality. I know this is important to our members and that they have been seeing the benefits of our work in this space.”

“There’s no doubt staffing remains our biggest challenge, and it’s important to acknowledge the significance of our recent major wins including the Victorian Government’s $5.6 million investment in the Accommodation Association’s Victorian jobs program to support up the placement of up to 400 candidates in regional and metro member properties for at least 12 months; and the Federal Government’s commitment of $10 million to expand and enhance the Accommodation Association’s ‘The Hub’, our market leading portfolio of game-changing programs to build our workforce for members.”

“Thank you to our members for your support to date. This is another step forward to Australia’s Accommodation Sector speaking with one voice to deliver even stronger industry representation for our members.”