David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Qantas as a viable, commercial entity employs a very large number of people. In order for them to continue to be a viable, commercial entity, they must have a level playing field; currently, they do not. They are at the mercy of other airlines that have government capital funding. Senator, you should know that, if we are going to go forward with a reliable, secure working environment for the employees of Qantas, they must have the commercial capacity to borrow on the open market and function commercially. (Time expired)