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Thursday, 10 May 2012
Page: 3067

Senator JOYCE (Queensland—Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) (10:05): I will not leave you in suspense, Mr Acting Deputy President. We will not be supporting the Air Navigation and Civil Aviation Amendment (Aircraft Crew) Bill 2011, for a range of reasons. Senator Gallacher went through them. We have to allow a company the capacity to deal in the markets that it operates in. If we were to pursue overseas an equivalence with the terms and conditions in Australia, the ultimate result would be that overseas flights would be stopped because we would be uncompetitive. The margins that airlines are on—you can see it around the world—are extremely tight, and we note quite a number of airlines going broke. It is a regular occurrence. So lumbering them up with more regulation and conditions which just will not cut the mustard and will not compete in overseas markets would in many instances be a short-term solution before that route was actually withdrawn.

I heard the sympathies that were well articulated by Senator Gallacher. My query is: if you hold those views so dearly, why don't you support the bill? What is your position? Is that the position of your party or is it the position that you hold?

There are a range of issues that are coming to light, and we can see them in regard to the lockout. A company has to be able to deal with its disputes as they arise. We want this organisation, Qantas, to remain a viable organisation in Australia. We should recognise how tight the margins are, especially with the Australian dollar where it is at the moment and the pressures that are on at the moment and also noting, really, the fact that its profit, for the capital that it has got employed, is very low. But it still exists, and we are seeing other airlines in other places currently shutting down.

I have briefly perused the Senate report. I note the emphatic and well-meaning endorsement by Senator Xenophon. If Alan Joyce were not my brother, I would probably consider—no, I am no relation!

Senator Sterle: I knew it!

Senator JOYCE: No, I am no relation to Alan.

Senator Birmingham: And that's a great relief to Alan!

Senator JOYCE: Yes, I know. I am taller, so I must be older! But, on a more serious note, issues of safety are something that the coalition are very aware of. If we genuinely believed that we were compromising the safety of people flying on an airline for which we had jurisdiction in some way then we would definitely be doing something about it. We believe that that is more in the realms of CASA and we will continue to rely on CASA to make sure that the safety of those who fly on these aircraft is maintained. There really is not much more to say that has not already been articulated in the coalition's dissenting report. As such, I will not hold the chamber up any longer. I just note that we will not be supporting the bill.