KING, STERLE & SHELDON – MEDIA RELEASE – AVIATION SECTOR INQUIRY ESTABLISHED IN SENATE – MONDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2020

After the Morrison Government’s comprehensive failure to support Australian aviation and plan for the future of this essential industry, Labor has today initiated a Senate inquiry to understand what the COVID-19 pandemic will mean for the future of Australia’s aviation sector.

The inquiry will also be able to examine the support offered – or not offered – to the industry by the Morrison Government.

This inquiry will be an opportunity for aviation workers, unions and businesses to make their voices heard.

Throughout this crisis the Morrison Government has denied support to airports, denied JobKeeper to Dnata workers, allowed Virgin Australia to fall into administration and failed to act as Qantas sacked thousands of workers.
At the same time they have been failing to support workers, the Morrison Government has been subsidising the private jets of billionaires and handing untied grants to their chosen airlines.
Going into this crisis, Australia had two strong, competitive domestic airlines that guaranteed affordable services regularly reached all Australians. This network was supplemented by budget carriers and a network of smaller airlines servicing regional communities.

After this crisis, the future is a lot less certain.

As a result of Government mismanagement, Australian workers have lost their jobs and the flight routes that some regional communities relied upon have been lost, putting the recovery of these regional economies at risk.

Labor looks forward to this inquiry further developing our understanding of how aviation has been affected by this crisis, how the Government responded, and – importantly –  what the industry will need into the future.

This inquiry means that where the Government has failed, the Senate is standing up.