Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Has the government received advice from Virgin's administrator that bidders for the airline are expected to pull out if the government keeps its hard September deadline for JobKeeper?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll ask the Deputy Prime Minister to add to the answer. The government wants to see two viable airlines in Australia serving the Australian travelling public. We have taken a very consistent approach which has seen, through administration, the identification of very serious proposals that have come forward that will enable that to become possible. We will continue to engage with the administrator, throughout the course of their coverage of these issues, to achieve those ends.

But I would say one thing in particular right now, if we're concerned about Virgin employees, and that is that it is very important that we open up the domestic borders in this country. We need to get planes flying around Australia, and, if you want to see planes flying around Australia, we need to open up these domestic borders.

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And I agree. That applies to South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia. This isn't a partisan issue; this is about ensuring that our economies can open up. I have made this point consistently—that it is in Virgin's interest, it is in Qantas's interest and it is in the aviation sector's interest that we move to opening up travel within Australia as soon as possible. The three-step process is intended to be completed in July, and we look forward to that being completed in July. I would be hoping that, at the earliest possible opportunity, states will be able to indicate the date in July that that interstate travel will be open again, to be able to give that certainty. I'll ask the Deputy Prime Minister to add to that.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the shadow minister for her question and for the ability to add to the Prime Minister's response. I thank Virgin for what they have done for travellers around the country and, indeed, for those Australians wanting to get back home. I have a couple of figures. Under the Domestic Aviation Network Support program, Virgin has carried around 33,000 domestic passengers during the first four weeks of that program. Under the international aviation network support program, repatriating Australians overseas back to this country—Virgin has operated 26 flights carrying 893 passengers and 400 tonnes of freight.

Of course, Virgin is also eligible for support under economy-wide programs, and everything that we've done in the aviation sector has been sector wide—that's really important to note—such as the JobKeeper program, which Virgin has been able to access. I do want to thank Virgin. I do want to thank those people who work for Virgin, the 10,000 of them and the 6,000 contractors but particularly the 10,000 workers who proudly wear those red uniforms. We want them to continue to be part of the transport sector, going through COVID-19, and we're doing everything we can to ensure that.