Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australia needs a healthy and productive aviation sector to support our economy and the many jobs across the many industries that rely on it. The vastness of Australia inevitably means we rely heavily on aviation for our internal movements as well as to maintain our connections to the outside world. My community has a long history in aviation. It started in Diggers Rest, with one of the first flights to take off in this country, and now the Melbourne Airport precinct provides my community with many jobs and employment opportunities.

Directly adjacent to the Melbourne Airport is my electorate of Hawke. People in Sunbury, Bulla and the surrounding areas know all too well the impact our aviation sector has on communities. Now more than ever we need to support workers in the aviation sector and its supporting industries because it brings opportunities and jobs that sustain places like my community. These jobs flow on to sustain the local economies in the suburbs and towns nearby. Some 18,000 people are directly employed across the Melbourne Airport precinct, and it supports a further 146,000 jobs across the community, from cafes, eateries and retail spots to the administration staff and the proud road transport workers who connect our airport to the rest of the country, its community and its economy. The freight task alone is 205 million tonnes, worth $222 billion, around 30 per cent of all of Australia's airfreight.

The airport is an economic lifeblood of our community, so it requires appropriate oversight from government to ensure that we get the best outcomes. We know what happens when governments abandon these communities. When they don't back in workers, it puts them at risk of being left behind.

We have seen this in recent years, such as when the former Liberal government watched on while Qantas illegally sacked 1,700 workers in the middle of a pandemic. That was 1,700 families put through hell while all the time the Liberals were handing out $2 billion in taxpayer funded handouts to the very same company. It's no surprise that many workers, including many in my electorate, took Qantas all the way to the High Court, supported by the mighty Transport Workers Union, and won. The Liberals have consistently shown their colours when it comes to the treatment of workers in this sector.

When it comes to noise, the Albanese government understand the concerns raised about airport developments across the country. Just as we understand the noise impacting Brisbane, we know it impacts communities everywhere. When it comes to the proposed third runway for Melbourne Airport, we're work with the community, the operators and the airport to look at the best solutions to minimise the impact of flights on communities under flight paths. This will mean that greater consideration will be given when these decisions are made to addressing the concerns raised.

This work forms a broader picture in this space. The Albanese government is working to provide clarity and forward thinking for the future of the industry. The aviation white paper will set the long-term policies that will guide us through the next phase of rapidly increasing growth and innovation in the aviation sector so that everyone in our community and across our economy can enjoy the jobs that that brings. It will allow the government's vision for policies on safety, competitiveness, sustainability and efficiency to ensure that the sector is best positioned to continue delivering aviation services for the Australian public all while looking forward to 2050 and the challenges that that will bring.

One of the key issues that it will address is enhancing the mechanisms for consultation and management of issues such as aircraft noise and the redevelopment of airports across the country. This will go a long way towards ensuring communities just like mine get the best possible outcomes in terms of both jobs and minimisation of aircraft noise. It's what responsible governments do—consult widely and work closely with the community to deliver on the promises and reforms that will leave a lasting legacy. We know how important the aviation sector is to our economy, to jobs and to staying connected, and that's why it's so important that we get it right.

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