Mr LINDSAY (5:20 PM) —It was 1938 when Qantas Airways Ltd first came to Townsville. They came in flying boats. They were running flights from Sydney’s Rose Bay through to Brisbane which then stopped at Gladstone in the member for Hinkler’s electorate before landing in Townsville en route to Singapore and London. These days we have something a little more significant than a flying boat service from Qantas. I am pleased to advise the parliament that on Friday, Jetstar, which is part of the Qantas group, announced that it will be servicing Townsville with some very significant new services. I am very pleased to see that Jetstar will run a service which I believe is a first—that is, Melbourne-Townsville direct. That is a great result, particularly for our commercial and our military people in Townsville because many of them have families and friends in the southern part of the state.

We will now see Qantas running 38 services a week to Townsville. Jetstar will run 14 services a week to Townsville and QantasLink, the other member of the Qantas stable, will run 49 services to Townsville. This gives a total of 101 services every week from the Qantas group. I really appreciate the support that Qantas has shown to our city, Australia’s largest tropical city. I know that it will continue to operate and to offer appropriate services for our region. Townsville also has Virgin services. Another airline, which is known as Alliance Airlines, provides jet services from Townsville. So we are well serviced as the regional communications and business centre of the north.

I also note that Qantas has a national partnership with Tourism Australia in relation to a major marketing thrust over the next three years to promote Australia and to promote inbound tourism. Qantas has once again demonstrated through this partnership that it does call Australia home. It is committed to working with Tourism Australia globally and it is committed to growing Australia’s tourism industry from all major regions. That is why I would like to strongly support Qantas in its position as flagship carrier for Australia and to support anything that we can do as a government that will help it. (Time expired)