Rex Airlines

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:30): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Trade and Investment regarding Rex Airlines and Kangaroo Island.

Leave granted.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: On 3 February 2020, Rex Airlines announced that it was cancelling services to Kangaroo Island. In May 2018, Rex Airlines reduced its services to Mount Gambier. On 16 May 2018, the then minister for trade, tourism and investment stated in this chamber:

We [as in the Liberal government] will be doing whatever is possible to ensure the services are maintained in all of our regional cities...

My question to the minister is to explain exactly what he, in his former role as minister for tourism, and the government did that successfully maintained air services to our regions?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade and Investment) (14:31): If the honourable member was listening to the chief executive of Rex, they have made this decision to withdraw the services from Kangaroo Island. We have a good relationship with them. We are trying to maintain services to other parts of South Australia. But, of course, all of those discussions, as when I was the minister for tourism, will now be with the Minister for Tourism, so I will take that question on notice and refer it to the Minister for Tourism.