Dr WEBSTER (Mallee) (19:40): I rise this evening to let it be known, sadly, that Qantas has ceased to be the spirit of Australia and has become the spirit of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. The recent decision by Qantas to close the Mildura base next April, along with bases in Canberra and Hobart, is a slap in the face to the Sunraysia region. Qantas has shown total disrespect to Mildura residents, pilots and cabin crew, who have served with distinction. Pilots and cabin crew will get just two years support to commute from Mildura to the alternative bases in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane, with no guarantee after that and with unclear financial support arrangements for the interim. This is a crippling blow to regional aviation on top of the collapse of Rex and Bonza and the retreat of Virgin Australia. The move is short-sighted and damaging to Mildura, the busiest regional airport in Victoria.

So-called consultation by Qantas has been nothing short of insulting. There was never a chance they were going to change their direction. Their decision was baked in from the get-go. I will call out corporates and governments that engage in tokenistic consultation impacting my constituents any day of the week. Qantas threatens to deprive Sunraysia of more professionals and disrupt families who have built their lives doing what they love where they live. Has Qantas even considered the costs to these pilots and cabin crew? The cost of purchasing a similar home in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, of spouses changing jobs and children changing schools from Mildura—that would be a clear 'no'.

And it's not just about jobs lost in a place like Mildura; it's whole families leaving town. These families will be lost to social circles, civic life and the economy. Losing professional people and families like this has a significant impact on regional economies like Mildura, making a mockery of an airline that was born and raised in regional Australia. Sunraysia residents and regional Australians are sick of being treated as second-class citizens by the Labor government and by big corporations with tunnel vision focused on major cities—tunnel vision that means the regions are last on the agenda. As the shadow minister for regional development, I am focused on building economic development in the regions, not on centralising operations in major cities on the east coast.

Let me be clear: this is a premeditated, Qantas-engineered closure. Qantas whittled down the Mildura workforce over years so effective rosters could not be filled. Mildura is regional Victoria's largest airport. This is not a remote airstrip. The closure of Qantas bases underlines how far Qantas has drifted from its founding mission. I'm also concerned that QantasLink service reliability to Mildura will be affected because of hollowed-out local staffing. This is a repeat of Qantas's 2008 Mildura maintenance facility closure. Now, if planes break down, an engineer has to be flown in, causing significant delays or cancellations. QantasLink's latest closure also follows the August 2024 closure of their Tamworth maintenance facility, cutting 41 permanent and 10 contract roles. This is all just an expression of corporate groupthink, where profits are prioritised over people and once again regional Australians bear the brunt. Qantas has benefited considerably over the years from its diversified organisational structure, where group profits are balanced against losses of regional subsidiaries during downturns and challenging times. While businesses and corporations naturally focus on profitability, our national carrier—and one that received considerable support from government during the COVID pandemic—appears to have lost its way.

This isn't just about workers; it's about connectivity, livability and the future of regional Australia. Qantas needs to stop retreating into the big cities and start looking after the nation that gave it its wings.

‍