Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This MPI is so important to the National Party they can wheel out two members. It's so important to the Liberal Party they can wheel out four members. There are over 50 members in the coalition opposite, and this is such a big issue as far as they're concerned that the member for Riverina can only get his mate to be here. He can't even get the member for New England's allies to be here.

There was $2.7 billion rolled out to Qantas, and I remember speaking to Virgin workers and Qantas workers in Ipswich and the Somerset region, in my electorate, who lost their jobs. Those opposite sat there and couldn't support Virgin. Those workers were in tears. I remember having those conversations with them. But it was the TWU—Michael Kaine, the National Secretary; Josh Millroy in the Queensland branch; and other people—heroes who stood up for workers while those opposite sat there. They talk about chaos in airports and aviation industry policy. Industrial relations was in chaos under them. They did nothing. They sat there and procrastinated—ignorance. Inertia was their policy on aviation. It's evidenced by the four-year delay by the member for Riverina in relation to Qatar. They failed. They spent $20 billion during COVID on companies that made no losses, that made profits. That's chaos in the aviation industry—not supporting workers, not supporting business.

A million Australians live overseas. Way more than a million travel overseas every year, and it's important in terms of our rail, our roads, our shipping, our aviation—it's absolutely crucial across states, across territories and internationally—that we get this right. That's why it's important to the national interest that we have competition in the area. But those opposite don't really believe in competition, because look at what they did when they were in government. Look what they did. They don't support the workers in that sector. Did we hear anything from those opposite during their speeches in relation to supporting the workers in the industry? Not a peep out of them, when they were in government, in support of those workers in that industry. When Virgin was collapsing, what did they do? Nothing. They did nothing in relation to those areas.

I've got workers telling me that only the unions stood up for them and with them, and the Labor Party. I rang those workers during COVID. My staff and I made 40,000 phone calls to people who were suffering during COVID. I made thousands of phone calls to workers during COVID, and I remember speaking to those workers.

Now, I actually don't mind the member for Riverina. He's a decent and honourable man, but he's got a bit of gall today to put this motion before the chamber. Having been in government, having been the Deputy Prime Minister—he also happens to be the current deputy chair of the Trade Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, so he is looking at this right now. He knows the challenges and the issues because of that inquiry into international education and, of course, trade. He knows the issues that are there. He knows there are problems in the tourism industry, and yet he comes into this place and does this.

I would just make this point to everyone: if Qatar was interested, in relation to this issue, in extending their footprint into Australia, they could do so in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, for example. They could fly larger planes into those airports if they wished to right now. If they wished to go to regional cities in my area, like the Gold Coast or Cairns for example, they could do so if they chose to do that. It's available to them to do that. They can always operate as many flights as they want to in those areas. This government's not about stopping competition. This government's acting in the national interest. That's what it is about—the national interest, not stifling competition.

We've got many, many airlines that we all travel on overseas. Australians see them all the time: Cathay, Singapore, Emirates. We know they operate into and out of Australia. We know they operate because Australians catch them all the time. I don't understand this obsession from those opposite on this decision. It makes no sense and it's inconsistent with the attitude they took when they were last in government—not standing up for workers, not standing up for competition, not supporting people, and throwing billions of dollars away by not standing up for an industry that supported workers.

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