Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The aviation industry has been one that has shown great ingenuity over the years. The tyranny of distance that besets many of our forebears has disappeared as the industry has grown and developed, making transportation much more accessible. In Adelaide we now think of going over to Melbourne as nothing, whereas previously it was a major undertaking. I love going over to watch my beloved Port Adelaide in the theatre of dreams at the MCG. I know that buck shows and hen shows love travelling to the Gold Coast or Sydney, and that is because of competitive airfares in the aviation sector.

Adelaide Airport is in my electorate and is a major employer, and I feel for the many Qantas workers who have lost their jobs over a number of years, not just in the announcement last week. A number of the workers at the airport have children at my local primary school, where my children go. I know them personally and they will be feeling the brunt of this. Let us remember that there have been major job losses in South Australia, going back to Mitsubishi, when Labor was in power at both the state and the federal level in 2008. Cobham is a major employer in the aviation industry and they work in the mining services sector, a sector that we need to see grow and develop—and we need to get rid of the mining tax.

My office has had discussions with an employer in the engineering section of Qantas who is trying to work out how to best move through these difficult times. We empathise with these workers and their families. These job losses announced last week by Qantas are disappointing and create great uncertainty for families. Let us remember what the Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said last week, 'Qantas in contrast is restricted from competing effectively due to the Qantas Sale Act, which limits the level of foreign investment in the airline and determines where our operations are performed.' We have acted quickly to help Qantas. We need to ensure that there is a level playing field for Qantas and that their operations are not adversely affected.

The government call on the opposition to back our changes to help Qantas, whether it be the sales tax, sorry, the carbon tax—I have taxes on my mind when I talk about the opposition—or the changes to part 3 of the Qantas Sale Act. We want to help Qantas navigate through these challenging times. We know that the carbon tax is a $106 million hit to Qantas, just as it is a $27 million hit to Virgin and other airlines. If the member for Adelaide were really sincere about saving jobs, helping the economy and helping Qantas, she would tell her colleagues to repeal the carbon tax and give Qantas that money so they can employ people and save jobs, not lose them. If Labor are really concerned about losing jobs overseas then do not disadvantage Australian companies. Lower taxes and help the consumers who at the moment are benefiting from competitive airfares and a viable aviation industry. Axe the carbon tax, amend the Qantas Sale Act and get out of the way and help Qantas.

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