Australia’s peak accommodation industry body has sharpened its focus on the year ahead, setting a confident policy and advocacy agenda for 2026 during a pivotal board meeting on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Meeting at RACV Royal Pines ahead of the Christmas tourism surge, the Board of Accommodation Australia (AA) addressed a full slate of strategic priorities ranging from short-term rental regulation to workforce shortages and looming sustainability reforms that could reshape hotel operations nationwide.
AA Chief Executive James Goodwin said the timing of the meeting was critical as operators brace for peak season while governments at every level recalibrate policy settings.
“There was no shortage of issues,” Mr Goodwin said.
Among the headline items was the updated national policy on Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA), a growing fault line between residential housing capacity and the rapid spread of online booking platforms. The Board also revisited the persistent and deeply felt workforce crisis that continues to strain kitchens and hotel floors across the country.
“Discussion ranged from the updated Short Term Rental Accommodation policy to the perennial problem of addressing chef shortages and other workforce issues,” Mr Goodwin said.
These shortages remain one of the sector’s most significant structural challenges, with migration settings, training pipelines and regional labour access all feeding into a problem that operators say now threatens service sustainability.
Pictured (L-R) Andrew Cairns – Crown Hotels & Resorts, Paul Hutton – Hilton, Geoff York – Crystalbrook Collection, Shelley Verdouw – RACV Hobart, James Goodwin – AA CEO, David Basheer – AHA National President, David Mansfield – The Ascott Limited/Quest (AA Chair), Andrew Bullock – 1834 Hotels, Adrian Williams – Accor, Pacific, Emma Hynes – IHG Hotels & Resorts (Deputy Chair)
Another issue drawing scrutiny was a proposal from the Albanese Government to make the NABERS energy rating system compulsory for hotels with more than 100 rooms. While sustainability is broadly embraced across the industry, the scale and cost of mandatory compliance remain serious concerns for operators, particularly amid elevated interest rates and construction costs.
“Another item on the agenda was the proposal from the Albanese Government to make the NABERs energy rating system compulsory for hotels greater than 100 rooms and what this means for members,” Mr Goodwin said.
More information on the NABERS framework can be found at the official program site: https://www.nabers.gov.au.
Holding the meeting on the Gold Coast brought a sharp local lens to the national debate.
“Meeting in Queensland at RACV Royal Pines also gave us the chance to hear first-hand the issues affecting accommodation operators in a tourism mecca like the Gold Coast,” Mr Goodwin said.
While challenges remain, the broader demand outlook is encouraging. The Board acknowledged strengthening tourism indicators, including the steady return of international aviation capacity and the improvement in inbound passenger flows. The renewed push by Tourism Australia to target high-value international markets was also welcomed as a timely boost to recovery-stage growth.
“On a positive note, there’s growing tourism demand including improved international aviation access and the Board recognised the new, targeted Tourism Australia destination marketing across key regions to help drive inbound growth,” Mr Goodwin said.
Tourism Australia’s destination investment strategy is outlined at: https://www.tourism.australia.com.
In a further sign of renewed industry unity, the Board was joined by newly appointed National Australian Hotels Association President David Basheer, who led discussions on coordinated advocacy in what is shaping up to be a politically complex year.
“The Board was also joined by new National AHA President David Basheer, who led a discussion on how we engage together on key policy issues such as migration and the complex political landscape next year,” Mr Goodwin said.
Coordination between peak bodies will be essential as the industry presses for skilled migration reform, training incentives and planning certainty for future hotel development.
The meeting also marked a crucial internal milestone with the formal approval of the 2024-25 annual report, a year described as both commercially solid and structurally significant for the organisation.
“The annual report for 2024-25 was approved in what has been a successful year. This also marked an important milestone, being the second full year since the amalgamation of the previous accommodation bodies.”
The amalgamation has given the sector a single, stronger national voice at precisely the time when regulatory complexity, sustainability obligations and global competition are intensifying.
With international demand returning, aviation capacity rebuilding, and governments sharpening their regulatory focus, the Board’s 2026 agenda is now firmly anchored in three priorities: workforce stability, policy certainty and sustainable growth.
For operators across Australia’s tourism heartlands, from capital city hotels to regional resorts, the message from the Gold Coast is clear. The industry is no longer in recovery mode alone. It is once again shaping its own future with confidence, coordination and a steady eye on long-term resilience.
by Jill Walsh – (c) 2025
Read Time: 4 minutes.
About the Writer
Jill Walsh has always had a pen within reach and a suitcase not far behind. She cut her teeth on media releases, then honed her craft shepherding press trips across half the globe—learning which stories travel well and which need a firmer edit.
In time, she wasn’t merely promoting places; she was representing them, translating civic ambition and local pride into words people wanted to read. Semi-retired now, Jill has swapped departure boards for deadlines, joining long-time colleague and friend Stephen at Global Travel Media on a casual basis.
Her beat is the business end of wanderlust: balance sheets, route maps, tender wins, the quiet numbers that decide where travellers actually go. She writes with tidy prose, dry humour and an old-school respect for facts, giving readers clarity without the clutter. In short, Jill brings seasoned judgement to travel’s moving parts, and a steady voice when the market gets noisy.
