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

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. How is the Albanese Labor government working to protect access to air services in regional Australia? Are there other approaches that will leave regional Australians worse off?

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

I thank the member for Gilmore for the question. I know she is a fantastic supporter of regional aviation and a great supporter of the announcement we made this week about investments in her electorate at Moruya Airport, which she advocated for.

The Albanese Labor government is building Australia's future by working to ensure the future of critical aviation services in our regions. We believe that Australians living in regional and remote communities deserve access to air travel that is affordable and reliable. Yesterday we announced the government will support short-listed bidders to maximise a successful sale of Rex Airlines to ensure crucial regional aviation services continue beyond 30 June. We've been clear the Commonwealth is not a bidder in this process but we want to see a successful market-led outcome. When markets fail or struggle to deliver for regional communities, the government has a role to ensure people don't miss out on opportunities, education and the critical connections that aviation brings. The same is, of course, true in telecommunications as well. We have been absolutely clear that, if there is no second sale, we will look at the contingency options, including preparations necessary for potential Commonwealth acquisition, and work with the states on that.

While this side of the House is doing everything it can to protect and support regional Australians, we saw the Liberals and Nationals confirm that they see no role for government in this. In fact, they have actively said that they will oppose it.

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting.

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

We had the shadow finance minister saying Commonwealth acquisition was a bridge too far.

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

The minister will pause. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition needs to not interject for the remainder of this answer. It will be greatly appreciated by me and the House. The minister has the call.

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

I'll go to the comments by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition says that governments shouldn't own airlines. This is about the Australian government saying, 'Look, this is really important to regional Australia that we actually say this.' But she does think that it is perfectly okay for governments to own $600 billion worth of publicly owned nuclear reactors. That's what the Deputy Leader of the Opposition thinks is worthy—absolutely important—for the Commonwealth to own. What an absolute joke. You either back regional Australia—you back making sure we continue to have services in our regional communities—or you back $600 billion of publicly owned nuclear reactors and the cuts that are coming in order to actually fund them.

What we've seen on that side of the House is that they've got no interest in supporting regional Australia and no interest in making sure we continue to have that connectivity. Unlike the Liberals and Nationals, we're going to back regional airlines.