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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-04-29 Daily Xml
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Regional Air Services

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:40): My question is to the Treasurer. What action have state and federal governments taken to assist regional air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:41): I am pleased to be able to again congratulate our federal colleagues on the response they have adopted in relation to COVID-19. Clearly, those of us who are familiar with regional air travel and the importance of it, not just within South Australia but within Australia, are aware that most, if not all, regional flights were discontinued as a result of the flow-on implications of travel bans instituted by federal and state governments as part of the national cabinet decisions.

This obviously involved significant travel restrictions but also some significant difficulties for some of our regional communities. So I do want to congratulate the federal government. They have negotiated the package with both Rex and Qantas in South Australia, and the state government has also, once those decisions were finalised, concluded some discussions with Rex. I am pleased to be able to advise the house that, in relation to God's own country—the South-East and Mount Gambier (I start there firstly)—the federal government is funding return flights to Mount Gambier on Tuesdays and Fridays.

My colleague and his officers indicated the importance from a health viewpoint—and also a community viewpoint, but they were obviously putting the health viewpoint—of having a return flight on Monday, so the state government is providing some revenue guarantees to Rex to ensure that there is a return flight on the Monday. So there will now be Monday, Tuesday and Friday return flights to Mount Gambier.

Similarly, in relation to Coober Pedy, the federal government has funded return flights on Wednesday and Friday. Our health colleagues indicated the importance, if possible, of a return flight on the Monday, and the state government is assisting the funding of a return flight to Coober Pedy through Rex on the Monday, so there will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday flights to Coober Pedy.

My congratulations to the commonwealth because it is funding four flights a week to Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Kingscote and two flights a week to Ceduna. The state government's commitment is based on a revenue guarantee, which is similar, as I understand it, to the federal government funding arrangements. It ensures the flights are there, but guarantees revenue to, in our case Rex, in the commonwealth case both Rex and Qantas. The duration of the state government package at this stage is, I think, for an initial period of three months, with the option of being extended on a month-by-month basis, I think, for a further two months.

As I said, I again place on the record my congratulations to my federal colleagues for the action they have taken in South Australia, and nationally, in relation to regional air travel. I am pleased to say that the taxpayers of South Australia are also going to make a contribution out of the economic stimulus package funding that has been provided to ensure flights to Mount Gambier and Coober Pedy.

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