Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday, 12 September 2011, marked the 10th anniversary of one of our nation's great airline carriers, Ansett Airlines, being put under external administration. Ten years ago yesterday, Australians woke up and were shocked by the news that this iconic and highly substantial commercial institution, sharing most of our domestic airline market with Qantas, would be no more. Fifteen thousand staff lost their jobs and an estimated 60,000 people in associated industries were also affected. Over 200 of those people were living in the electorate of Hindmarsh, which I represent today. I cannot adequately express the shockwaves that this caused—shock to the travelling public, shock to the industrial landscape and of course the incredible shock to all the employees of Ansett and the people engaged in the airline industry.

Ten years on and we continue to see industrial change. We have seen cut-price competition within the airline sector, the involvement of new players and diversified products from the airline industry. The Ansett collapse was one of the greatest industrial tragedies to take place in this nation. It was overshadowed during those days by another tragic event, September 11.

In the last 10 years since Ansett collapsed, our airports have continued to modernise. Aircraft have become more numerous but notionally quieter. Many homes have received a great deal of government support to insulate them from aircraft noise. Recently we had an aviation white paper, the creation of greater safeguards for residents living in areas adjacent to airports and flight paths, and mechanisms for the protection of their interests. Something that I pushed for over many years, together with many residents who live adjacent to the airport in my electorate—and this was an initiative of this government; an initiative of which I am particularly proud—was the creation of an Aircraft Noise Ombudsman to receive and resolve complaints pertaining to aircraft noise from the general public. This has been a great innovation and is continuing to be a terrific success.

This has been a decade through which we have all seen great change. Change has necessarily extended to the lives of the former Ansett employees. Last Saturday, I attended the Ansett employee reunion held in my electorate of Hindmarsh. The reunion was a great success, with organisers booking larger and larger venues to cater for the increasing number of former employees who flagged their intention to come. In all, close to 500 people were in attendance, mostly from Adelaide and many from my electorate of Hindmarsh, but also welcomed were former employees of Ansett currently working in many cities around the world: Japan, Hong Kong, the Middle East and interstate.

For those who had passed away in the last decade, a large memorial wall holding photos and details of over a dozen former employees was displayed on this occasion. We also saw donations received from many former employees for door prizes, indicating how people have rebuilt their professional lives. For instance, some of the donated prizes were from former employees who have established wineries since Ansett's collapse, including Don Henderson of Brierly Wines in South Australia.

I would like to thank the Ansett Reunion Organising Committee for their hard work over 18 months in organising and holding the event. Pam Docking, Geoff Horan, Pamela Howard, Anne Lewis, Paul Mesecke and John Schultze all came together to bring these former employees together to commemorate the 10 years since the collapse of Ansett. I would also like to acknowledge Maureen MacEwen—who currently works for me as an electorate officer—who was a former Ansett stewardess and also a life member of the Australian Services Union, for her contribution to the campaign as the delegate for Ansett workers in South Australia.

I would also like to thank Adelaide Airport Ltd for donating $5,000 to the cost of the event. It is another sign of their ongoing goodwill towards all connected to the aviation industry. This was a donation without which the reunion would have been very difficult to hold or, at least, very different in composition. (Time expired)