Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to debate this matter of public importance that has seen consumers, Australian travellers, Australian exporters and Australian customers right around the country exercised. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, this government has once again been caught asleep at the wheel. They are making decisions each and every day across a range of portfolios which make it harder for mum and dad to pay the mortgage, which make it harder for mum and dad to pay the school fees and which make it more and more difficult for Australian families to make ends meet.

The latest disastrous decision by the Anthony Albanese government is to reject the application by Qatar Airways to have more international flights. Why is that important? It sounds quite technical. It's because, right now, Australians are paying 50 per cent more for international flights than they were pre COVID. It's because Qantas is making a motza—a big enough motza to pay their CEO a lot of money. A lot of money! It's because there seems to be a cosy relationship between this government, particularly the Prime Minister, and this company. And it's because Australians also need a diversity of choice in destination; not just to go where this carrier or that carrier determines but to have a range of options open to them. And for those of us that live out in the regions, it's to facilitate the freight task.

The more of those big planes coming in and leaving Australian capital cities, the more tourists we get coming in; the more choice Australians have—at a lower cost—in going out; and the more the bellies of those planes are filled with fantastic Australian exports. We saw the tourism industry come out a little while ago and say that this decision has cost the Australian tourism sector in excess of $788 million. That is real jobs in real communities right now. We know this decision has meant that the opportunity lost in terms of price increases is in excess of 40 per cent. That is a lot of money in a cost-of-living crisis.

What does this government do when asked: 'Why did you make the decision; just tell us why'? They refuse to answer it. We saw it in question time here in the Senate today, as the foreign minister, the finance minister and the trade minister were asked: what was the real reason? Why has this government put forward seven different reasons, from protecting Qantas's profits—an actual reason, given by the assistant Treasurer—to local jobs, to the national interest? I think Minister King put forward that she wanted to lower emissions by not having so many planes in the sky. It's just incredible. It's as if the laws of economics and the laws of physics do not apply to this government. Don't ask them about the principles of science and economics. It's a little bit like their Voice argument: it's all about the vibe; listen to the rhetoric.

Well, things are wrong with this decision. The Australian public deserves to know why you made it, that it wasn't just a cosy special relationship, wasn't just a dirty deal so that they paint 'yes' on some of their planes or that the Prime Minister prefers preferential treatment. If that is not the case, this is your opportunity to stand up and say why. Now we've got the president of the ALP, Wayne Swan—the former Treasurer, who is also the mentor of Jim Chalmers—coming out and saying that this decision needs to be reversed. He's not saying 'review it'; he's saying 'reverse it'.

Then we've got Steven Miles from Queensland saying the decision needs to be reviewed. We've got Malinauskas, the Premier of South Australia, saying this needs to be looked at. And what does Tony Burke get up and say this morning? He says, nope, Minister King got it right; this government got it right. I tell you what, something stinks about this decision, and we all know it; you know it. That is why the industrial left is furious that you're protecting Qantas, their archenemy, and the far left wants to re-nationalise. Those sensible among you know it's the wrong decision for Australians, who are facing a cost-of-living crisis.