Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Senator Watt. I refer the minister to comments made last week by the minister for transport, Catherine King, when she was asked a question by Sabra Lane on ABC Radio regarding how much the Qatar Airport security incident weighed in her decision. She said:

Well, it wasn't a factor in the decision …

Minister Farrell also advised the chamber during question time last week:

I have just travelled through Doha airport on my way back from a holiday a few weeks ago, and I personally don't see any risks.

But the transport minister also said of the incident:

… it wasn't the only factor, but it was one …

My question is very simple: was it a factor or not?

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

Thanks, Senator Cadell. These questions have been answered now for the best part of two weeks, so I'm not really sure what further light can be put on the question. I read the transcript from Minister King, and my recollection of it is that she said those incidents—those extremely more-than-regrettable, more-than-unfortunate incidents involving women, that shouldn't have occurred—were context for her decision. That's what I remember Minister King saying in that transcript. She, and many other ministers, have said repeatedly that the decision was made in the national interest and that there was no one factor. I'm not sure what we can add to the previous answers that we've given on this point.

What we can add on matters involving airlines, as I've already indicated, is that one airline was held to account today for its behaviour, and it was an airline that had the full support of the former coalition government when it went about outsourcing labour and sacking its workers through the pandemic, treating them with utter disrespect. We know—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Scarr?

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on direct relevance, President.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I will remind the minister of the question. Minister Watt, I will take you back to the question.

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

With respect, President, I believe I have largely answered the question in the first part of my answer and that I'm entitled to use the remaining 45 seconds of my answer to remind the coalition about it turning its back on Qantas workers during the pandemic—

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt—

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, a point of order—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Birmingham, there's no need to shout it more than once. I saw you on your feet and I was drawing the minister's attention to your point of order.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, we did have a matter last week where a minister—and it may have been Minister Watt or a different minister—behaved in the same way, which was to say, 'I've answered the question therefore I can talk about anything I want.' As was raised in a point of order at that stage, ministers need to be directly relevant throughout their answer. There has been acknowledgement from the chair that they can make glancing references to other factors, but it's not within the standing orders for a minister to say, 'I've addressed the question, now I can make whatever points I want.' If they've given the answer, or they believe they've given the answer, it's time to sit down.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Birmingham, I appreciate your point of order. When it was raised last week, I completely agreed with you. I have drawn the minister back to the question and I will remind the minister of the point of order you made. I agreed with it last week and I'm not deviating from the custom. I remind Minister Watt of the need to be relevant to the question.

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

Thank you, President, you know how I always obey your rulings and listen very respectfully to them. I dare say that it's so on this occasion as well. As I said, Minister King has made clear the basis of her decision, as have a number of other ministers over the last couple of weeks.

But the question does go to the government's decision regarding Qatar Airlines. I take the opportunity to remind the chamber of when the coalition were in power and Mr McCormack was then the transport minister. In fact, in just the last couple of weeks he said: 'When I became Deputy Prime Minister and transport minister in February 2018 I made a decision to put on hold an application by Qatar Airways,' so this concept that it's only a Labor government that has ever done this is absolute rubbish. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cadell, first supplementary?

Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, what is the definition of 'national aviation interest', which is a brand-new term introduced by the Deputy Prime Minister on Sunday?

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

Senator Cadell—

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd roll my eyes too.

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

No. I'm rolling my eyes at this newborn concern that we have from the coalition about the aviation industry, its workers and consumers when they spent 10 years ignoring the interests of workers and consumers in the aviation industry. All of a sudden they've discovered that they care about these issues when they have no power to do anything about them. They had 10 years in government to do something about these issues. They completely ignored the issues regarding aviation competition, the rights of aviation workers—

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

Richard made it up on the spot. There's no such thing, Murray. You know that.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator McKenzie, your constant and very loud interjections are disorderly. I've called you to order a number of times. I expect you to come to order. Minister Watt, please continue.

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

As I said, at no point in 10 years did the coalition show any interest in the aviation market in Australia, its competition record, the way it treated consumers and the way it treated its workers. Of course, they didn't do anything about that. In fact, they cheered on airline companies—one in particular—when they sacked their workforce. Now, when they have lost power, they decide to take an interest in this.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cadell, second supplementary?

Ross Cadell (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Several ministers, including the Prime Minister, have now made nine mostly conflicting excuses as to why the minister made his decision to prevent Australians from accessing cheaper international airfares and have invented a brand-new and now completely undefined term of 'national aviation interest'. What is the real reason the Albanese government is continuing to fail Australian travellers by keeping airfares high and stifling competition?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order: there may have been a misspeak or I may have missed which minister, but I think the senator referred to 'his decision'. I assume he was referring to Minister King's decision—'her decision'.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Wong. Minister Watt?

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

TT (—) (): As I said and we have said now for two straight weeks, Minister King has made very clear that her decision was based on the national interest. I suspect that was the basis of the decision that Minister McCormack, as he then was, made in February 2018 when he 'put a hold on an application by Qatar Airways'. Those were his exact words from a couple of weeks ago. He was honest. At least we have one honest member of the National Party. He owned up to the fact that when he was a minister he made a decision to put on hold an application by Qatar Airways.

I haven't seen any calls from the opposition over the last couple of weeks for any of the airlines that currently have the ability under the law, under the rules, to bring more flights to Australia to actually do so. How about you join our calls on those other airlines to get more flights to Australia and relieve pressure on prices? I also take the opportunity to remind the chamber that the price of aviation tickets first went up under the coalition, so again maybe there was an opportunity for you to do something about it when you were there. (Time expired)