The federal government will scrap visa application fees for backpackers and international students, the Prime Minister has announced.

A $3 million tourism campaign aimed at young travellers will also be launched.

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) president Andrew McKellar told 2GB Drive it’s a great announcement.

“I think it’s a very welcome step,” he said.

“These people are very significant contributors to the economy.

“Before the pandemic we were bringing somewhere between 400 and 500,000 international students each year and they were contributing about $40 billion to the Australian economy.

“That’s a huge contribution that can be made, this is a good first step for those visa holders that we currently have able to come into the country in the near term.”

Press PLAY to hear more from ACCI president Andrew McKellar below 

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