Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I answered a very similar question from Senator McKenzie yesterday, to which I said that Minister King has already put on the record that she did meet with the former CEO of Qantas as well as the CEO of Virgin. That is her usual practice—to speak to the CEOs of major airlines on a regular basis. I know that this is something that Senator McKenzie is determined to keep asking questions on, no matter how many times they are answered, so I can only repeat the answers that I gave yesterday. Senator McKenzie, of course, is entitled to ask whatever questions she wants. We will continue providing the same answers, as we have done now for probably the best part of three months.

I note that overnight, or in the last 24 hours, Minister King has also made the point that the government will be reactivating ACCC monitoring of air passenger services. That was intended by the former government to end on 30 June this year. The former government had agreed to the finalisation of that in June, but of course they're much wiser in opposition than they ever were in government.

A government senator interjecting—

I take the interjection—not a lot wiser. And I also note that the 12 ACCC reports that occurred under the previous government found declining services standards and higher prices by the airlines but were not acted on. Again, it seems to have taken the opposition losing government to actually start caring about any of these issues and continue asking questions which have been answered many times.