Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to commend the member for Wannon for bringing that to the attention of the House. The R U OK? Day is a wonderful initiative. I am pleased to see that he is going to take a forward role in advising the constituents in his electorate in Victoria of the value of and the need for R U OK? It is a wonderful initiative and I will try to remember to ask people in this House too on Thursday, because this House can be quite an adversarial house. It is important we all remember that we are humans and that we all have feelings and it is important to ask even members on the opposite side, 'Are you okay?'

I rise tonight to talk about Regional Express and the wonderful 10-year anniversary that that organisation celebrated on the weekend in my home town of Wagga Wagga, which is Rex's home town as well. Rex's motto is 'Our heart is in the country', and it certainly proved that on Saturday by holding its 10-year birthday in my electorate at the Australian Airline Pilot Academy, where the latest cohort of would-be pilots are busily learning the trade of flying aeroplanes.

Rex airlines really celebrated in style. They had an open day, which hundreds and hundreds of Riverina residents attended at the Australian Airline Pilot Academy. They had a jumping castle and all sorts of fun and games for the kids. They also had a luncheon at which Warren Truss gave quite an illuminating address. He spoke of the wonderful dedication and service that Rex airlines has brought to regional areas and talked about the difficult times that led up to Regional Express taking wings, so to speak, in 2002. It was on 14 September 2001, just three days after the horrific events of 9/11, that Ansett collapsed and, with it, took Kendell Airlines and Hazelton Airlines—two wonderful regional companies. From those troubled times, Regional Express started and now it provides a wonderful service for the people of the Riverina and, indeed, regional people throughout Australia. I commend Rex on its first 10 years. Hopefully there will be clear skies and many more years of aviation by that wonderful company to follow.