CATHERINE KING – MEDIA RELEASE – CHEAP FLIGHTS A CHEAP TRICK AS AVIATION WORKERS STOOD DOWN – WEDNESDAY, 31 MARCH 2021

Just hours before online sales for the Morrison Government’s much-hyped half-price airfares scheme begins, it has today been revealed as a cheap trick for aviation workers with hundreds of Virgin Australia staff being stood down without pay.

The Deputy Prime Minister likes to repeat his line that “planes in the air means jobs on the ground”, but the reality is that his mismanagement of Australia’s aviation sector has seen over 10,000 jobs lost at the major carriers and the possibility of even more to come.

It is no good to pretend that the pandemic is over, but that is exactly what the Morrison Government has done in withdrawing JobKeeper without suitable supports for an industry still doing it tough.

A few months of subsidised flights isn’t going to repair the damage or ensure there are no further job losses in Australian aviation.

Australian aviation workers who have lost their jobs or been stood down without pay aren’t looking forward to a discount holiday, they’re worrying how they are going to put food on the table, cover the mortgage and pay their kids’ school fees.

The Morrison Government needs to move on from cheap marketing tricks and finally do the hard work in developing a comprehensive, long-term plan Australian aviation.

WEDNESDAY, 31 MARCH 2021