Transcript - 3AW Drive - Jacqui Felgate

JACQUI FELGATE: On the line now is Catherine King, the Federal Transport Minister. I really appreciate your time this afternoon, Minister.

CATHERINE KING: You’re welcome. Thanks, Jacqui.

JACQUI FELGATE: Ok, so have you got any update for us at your end?

CATHERINE KING: Well, we’re waiting Bonza to make an announcement shortly about its pathway forward. I understand their board has been meeting and they’ll put out a media statement shortly about that. What we’ve been focused on today is having learned early this morning of flights being cancelled, and then the expectation, as we’ve seen, pan out through the course of the day of passengers being stranded, of trying to get people home and onto flights. And I’m very grateful for both Virgin, Qantas and Jetstar for stepping up to the plate and assisting. There’s a hotline number that I’m going to give people to call if you are stranded still and are listening to this. And that’s 1800 069 244. Staff at my department will be on that line until 10:00pm tonight to take calls and to redirect people onto Virgin, Qantas or Jetstar to try and get ongoing flights. We don’t know what’s happening with flights tomorrow as yet. I don’t have an expectation that those flights will be going, but that’s a matter for Bonza to say. So, again, we may have stranded passengers again tomorrow, but please, people, ring the hotline if you are stranded, and we’ll do the best we possibly can to get you onto some flights– or to get you onto Virgin, Qantas and Jetstar to get you onto flights to get home. And that’s really the situation we’ve got at the moment. And obviously, it’s still an evolving situation in terms of that. And then we’ll work in the days ahead as to what’s next.

JACQUI FELGATE: There were some articles, as the Union has just said, Michael, from the Union, mentioning that there were articles in the Fin-Review that administrators were due to be called in on Bonza. Was the Federal Government given any indication of how quickly and how soon this was going to happen? Did you get a heads-up at all?

CATHERINE KING: Well, we’ve been speaking to Bonza since those articles appeared last week. I think they also came as a surprise to Bonza because there were articles stating that the owners, the investors, had requested KordaMentha to come in, and that was not something that Bonza itself had been aware of. So, we’ve been speaking to them and obviously understood that there were some discussions taking place in terms of the investors. They obviously lease their planes as well and have lease payments that were coming due. And it’s been an evolving situation throughout the week. But I think it’s fair to say this morning we were first– we were made aware that the flights were being cancelled and planes were not able to fly from the media.

JACQUI FELGATE: And are you aware of some of those aircraft already heading back overseas?

CATHERINE KING: No, I understand all the aircraft, as far as I understand, are still in Australia at the moment.

JACQUI FELGATE: Ok. And what is your message to the Bonza workers who are affected today? They’re obviously facing a really uncertain future.

CATHERINE KING: Well, the first thing I’d say is having, you know, at this stage, we don’t know, and it’ll be a matter of them talking to their employer about what their future plans are and what is actually to happen. This is not, unfortunately, the first time we have seen this in aviation and in other spaces as well. I know that there is currently a significant shortage of workers, of pilots, of cabin crew, of baggage handlers, right the way across the aviation sector. So, this is a good sector for employment. But at this stage, all of the Bonza staff should speak directly to their employers about what’s happening over the course of the next few days and what the plans ahead. But there is lots of work in the aviation sector at the moment.

JACQUI FELGATE: The TWU is calling for a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to be set up and to set standards for aviation. He says, Michael Kaine, that the industry is in crisis. Do you agree?

CATHERINE KING: Look, no, I don’t agree with Michael on that, and it’s not a policy that the Government is intending to pursue. What we have done is through really extensive consultation throughout the aviation industry, had an Aviation Green Paper and an Aviation White Paper. We know that competition is an issue. There are also issues around consumer rights, there are issues around industrial relations in aviation, a whole raft of measures, and the Government White Paper will certainly address all of those. We are, despite the fact, incredible travellers in Australia, a very small market. And I think it is clear to say that we do see from time-to-time smaller players pop up and work in that market.

JACQUI FELGATE: Is there room for those smaller players in this country, Minister?

CATHERINE KING: Well, again, I think that it is challenging in the space that we have given that we are a smaller market. But again, we’ve seen Bonza come, we’ve seen – and we’ll hear from them as to what their future operations are in the next hours or so. But certainly, we have room for a very strong, big two airlines. So, Virgin and Qantas. Jetstar, obviously, is a cheaper carrier and Rex is a regional carrier. And those airlines have been going for some time and are very strong in Australia.

JACQUI FELGATE: Catherine King, the Federal Transport Minister. Appreciate your time this afternoon.