Labor and TWU slam stop-gap support for aviation sector

Labor infrastructure spokeswoman Catherine King said no assistance would have been needed if the Morrison government had not botched the vaccine rollout and fixed issues within hotel quarantine.

"The government has had 18 months to come up with a plan for the survival and recovery of Australian aviation, but instead they have sat on their hands," she said. "Before the latest wave of lockdowns, the Morrison government had already overseen the loss of over 10,000 jobs at our major carriers."

On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announced an extension to the Domestic Aviation Network Support (DANS) and Regional Airline Network Support (RANS) programs, which were due to end in September, will now run until the end of the year.

It also extended the half-price flights program to November 30 for both sales and travel, to ensure travellers impacted by lockdowns can access tickets.

Mr Joyce noted only half an airline's cabin crew and pilots would be able to access a dedicated $750 a week subsidy, while ground workers were exempt.

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TWU national secretary Michael Kaine claims the majority of workers will miss out on any support.

"A wage subsidy cannot cover 50 per cent of just some workers," he said. "The government has failed to learn from past mistakes with half-baked, substandard subsidy and supports which don't prevent axing and outsourcing of workers."

Mr Joyce said both the DANS and RANS programs have assisted ensuring flight routes have been able to remain open during the pandemic.

Both Qantas and Virgin Australia have welcomed the additional measures.

With AAP

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