Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting regional communities and regional airlines, and what has been the response?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Gilmore for her question and for coming with me, the member for Eden-Monaro and the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government this morning, joined by the Mayor of Bega, to Merimbula Airport for the important announcement confirming that, as part of our building of Australia's future, this government will support regional airlines. We have announced that we'll support Rex and ensure that regional communities have access to crucial air services. Without those air services, not only will people not have access to our big capital cities; they won't have access to health services that they need—that visit to the doctor. You won't be able to support the tourism sector. A lot of freight also goes on that transport, which is so important.

To ensure Rex operates beyond the administration cut-off date of 30 June, we'll work with shortlisted bidders to maximise a successful sale. If there's no sale, we'll work on contingency plans with relevant state governments, including the potential for Commonwealth acquisition. We'll provide a waiver of the use-it-or-lose-it test for Rex regional flight slots at Sydney airport as well. This comes on top of our $80 million loan to keep Rex operating until 30 June and our acquisition of $50 million of debt from Rex's largest creditor. We also announced, this morning, $12 million for upgrades to regional airports in New South Wales. This airline is absolutely critical for a range of communities that are serviced only by Rex. If you take it away, you isolate those communities. I know the member for Riverina understands this and has, indeed, been an advocate of the sorts of policies that were put forward earlier today.

I'm asked about what the response has been. The member for Farrer said this:

Governments shouldn't own airlines, because that does mean that taxpayers own them, and taxpayers pay for them …

So it's okay for governments to invest $600 billion in nuclear reactors, but it's not okay to invest to make sure that regional communities, like Winton, in the Leader of the National Party's electorate—like Moruya, like Ceduna, like a range of communities—continue to have access to aviation services? It is just extraordinary that, once again, their gut instinct is just to say no. What we will do is work constructively with those regional communities. We'll also work with people in the aviation sector constructively to see—we want there to be a private-sector buyer of Rex. But, if not, we won't leave those communities stranded. (Time expired)

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister rule out appointing his close friend, Alan Joyce, as CEO of the new Albo Air?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, members on my right! I didn't hear the end part of the question. I heard about Mr Joyce.

Opposition members interjecting—

Order, members on my left! I just want to make sure we get this right. We'll do this in an orderly way. Every member is entitled to ask the question of their choice. The Leader of the House on a point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the question is simply out of order. It's as simple as that. A question has to refer to ministerial responsibilities. The tag at the end—I respect you didn't hear it, but to repeat it would be to repeat an abuse. The member knows full well that he was asking that question for the purpose of getting up the nose. He was not referring to a government agency; the question is completely out of order.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I ask for the manager's assistance just to make sure the question is within standing orders and the responsibility of the Prime Minister? The Prime Minister is happy to answer the question? Okay.

Leader of the Opposition, I said we would do this in an orderly way; you don't need to jump down my throat. We are just going to deal with one situation at a time.

Order! The minister for regional development is warned. The Prime Minister has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Having seen the mess of the people who were previously operating Rex airlines, who have close links with a political party, not ours, having been given by the former government $150 million untied of taxpayers' money during the pandemic on top of JobKeeper, and who chose, rather than to fix up the Saab aircraft, with delusions of grandeur to lease big aircraft to try and compete on the Sydney-to-Melbourne route and drove an airline into the ground, following the following airlines that were grounded under the former government—Pacific Air Express, JetGo, Skytrans, Aeropelican, Brindabella, Tiger and Virgin; these all either went into administration or fell apart and we fixed the problems that they created—they come up with that sort of childishness. As we have said before, the only time Alan Joyce went to a Prime Minister's residence was under the former government of Scott Morrison. That's the sort of nonsense they come up with. That shows how seriously they take regional Australia.

Let me name these towns: Ceduna, Moruya, Narrandera, Parkes, Coober Pedy, Esperance, Carnarvon, Winton and Mornington Island. Do you know what they have in common? They would all be isolated from being able to get health care. They would all be isolated from being able to get freight. They would all be isolated from small businesses being able to operate properly. And every one of them are being represented by those people over there. But they have such contempt for them that this clown asks a question like that.

Well, here's what a serious member of the National Party had to say:

If not for Rex, those country towns wouldn't be able to get planes into their airports and, therefore, wouldn't be able to get doctors, nurses, vaccines and, most importantly, medication. People in those towns would also then not be able to make it to their capital city medical appointments. But it's more than just health, and we all know that. It's business. It's tourism. It's so many aspects of modern living.

He said:

I've raised the possibility of the federal government having an equity stake in Rex to ensure the airline's future.

That's a real leader sitting down the end over there for the National Party. You, sir, are not fit to represent a serious job in this parliament.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Barker is now warned.

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Me?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, you. You may sit a long way away, but—trust me—I can still hear your meaningful contributions.