CORONAVIRUS — AIR SERVICES
47. Mr V.A. CATANIA to the Minister for Tourism:
My question is to the new Minister
for Tourism—the third tourism minister for the McGowan government.
I refer to the news that Western Australia's
closed border has led to Jetstar cancelling several weeks of planned flights,
which follows confirmation that Darwin will deliver Perth's direct
flight service to London.
(1) Is the
government's border confusion and chaos not only impacting on local
tourism operators, but also driving major operators to cut services in WA?
(2) Is it further damaging WA's
brand like no other?
Mr R.H.
COOK replied:
I thank the
member for the question.
(1)–(2) Obviously,
there is a lot going on in the tourism sector at the moment as we continue to
navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic. I can confirm that Qantas has
decided to do two things. Jetstar has not flown to Western Australia this year,
so it makes sense that Qantas consolidates its assets in relation to bringing people to Western Australia or those
leaving the state. As the Premier observed earlier in question time,
over 30 000 people have travelled to Western Australia over the past few weeks.
Clearly, a lot of people are utilising air services at the moment. Obviously,
it is important that airlines can continue to plan and make sure they
understand what the future looks like for passenger demand and the impact of
COVID-19 on our community. That clarity will come in the coming weeks. I have
been working very closely with both the chairman and the CEO of Qantas to bring
in the next few months the Perth–London flights back to Perth Airport.
We are very much looking forward to those opportunities.
I
think all the operators understand the importance of ensuring that we keep the
priority of Western Australians' health foremost in our
considerations. That is a position they respect and it is a position they are
willing to work with the government on to ensure that we can achieve that
outcome. It is also the reason the government
provided a significant $48 million tourism and aviation package recently as
part of its ongoing relationship with tourism operators throughout Western
Australia to make sure that they have the support they need to continue to
plan, invest and recruit and ensure that they are ready in the best way they
can be for the forthcoming seasons.
I have met with tourism operators in
Kununurra and Broome. I had a large roundtable discussion last Wednesday with
the Tourism Council of Western Australia and its membership, as well as a showcase
piece for the tourism sector, which had over 300 participants, on Thursday
evening. I think all involved appreciate that the government's priority
is to make sure that we look after Western Australian lives and we look after
the Western Australian economy, and they appreciate that the government is
continuing to step up and invest in their industry to make sure that they can
continue to navigate these difficult times.