The Northern Territory’s federal Member for Solomon has backed moves to showcase Indigenous workers to tourists at five star hotels around Australia, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Tourism Training Australia has devised a plan which will see young people from remote and regional Australia employed in customer service roles at city hotels.

Some Indigenous leaders have described it as patronising, saying it treats Aborigines like tourism exhibits.

But Dave Tollner says it is a step in the right direction.

“Certainly the majority of inbound tourists into Australia want a sense of Indigenous culture,” he said.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea, anything to tap into the untapped resource of this nation, which is Indigenous people, you know should be roundly supported.”
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