Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

The Abbott-Truss government is absolutely committed to maintaining aviation jobs in Australia. We fully recognise the national interest in having a strong, viable aviation sector. That is why we are now taking the responsible action announced yesterday that we will not only ensure the future survival of Qantas but also we will protect as many aviation jobs in Australia as possible. This proposal, as outlined by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, is exactly what Qantas has asked for, and it is the most responsible course of action in the circumstances facing by the company. Responsibility: that is governing. It was not something we saw over the past six years but it is something we are starting to see under a responsible, mature, coalition government.

The government's proposal is straightforward and even members opposite should understand it. In fact, it is my hope that they support it, but dreams are free. All we are proposing to do is level the playing field so that Qantas can compete on the same basis as its competitors, so that it can operate freely, in a responsible way. We are proposing to remove the shackles that Labor placed on Qantas when it sold the airline off. Labor sold the airline off— something that member for Gorton has not quite worked out yet. Specifically, the government proposes to repeal part 3 of the Qantas Sale Act, which places restrictions on the company's ownership and governance. By not supporting our proposal, Labor is risking Australian jobs. It is as simple as that.

The next best thing we can do is to remove the carbon tax because it is a massive burden on all airlines, including Qantas. Yet those opposite, particularly the opposition in the Senate, along with Greens, refuse to accept the will of the Australian people. They refuse to accept this government's pledge to help Australian businesses and families by scrapping the carbon tax and relieving families of the impost placed on them by the previous government.

The opposition refuses to accept that when the Australian people voted on 7 September 2013 the message was patently clear—they did not want a carbon tax, that they did not want a Labor government. Get with the program! So unlike those opposite, who actually privatised Qantas and imposed a carbon tax on Australian businesses and families, we are a government focused on keeping our promises. We are a government committed to removing the carbon tax and repealing the Qantas Sale Act and not playing favourites in the Australian aviation industry. Instead, we want to save the aviation industry money by listening to the Australian people and removing the $106 million cost which the carbon tax placed on Qantas by those opposite. We want Qantas to operate, as the Prime Minister said over and over again today in question time, under exactly the same rules as Virgin and other airlines and we do not want to subject any airline to a job-killing carbon tax.

I represent a regional area and I know you do, too, Deputy Speaker Scott. Regional airlines, such as, Regional Express, Rex, provide a vital service to many communities throughout rural and remote Australia, just like the member for Farrer, Ms Ley, the minister here at the table. The member for Farrer is a pilot who knows full well the role Rex plays.

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