THE Labor Party’s candidate for Parkes, Nathan Fell, and Labor Member of the Legislative Council for Barwon, Stephen Lawrence, toured Broken Hill on Friday, April 4, to circulate a petition urging the Nationals to match support for Rex Airlines.
The petition is calling for the Nationals to match Labor’s commitment to a public buy-out of Rex, alongside funding as outlined in the 2025-26 Budget that will go towards keeping Rex operational.
The tour followed rising tensions regarding the petition, which is being circulated around the Wagga Wagga region as well, causing Member for Riverina, Michael McCormack, in a Facebook live video on Tuesday, March 25, to tear up the petition.
In the video Mr McCormack, who is pictured alongside Peter Dutton on the petition form, said Labor is using the survey to collect addresses, emails, and phone numbers to spread paraphernalia.
“If you fill that survey out, expect to be bombarded with Labor paraphernalia. It’s a disgrace,” Mr McCormack said.
In a statement from Senator Deborah O’Neill, Labor Senator for Parkes, the Liberal and National parties are accused of stating that a government buy-out of Rex is too far.
“Regional Australians deserve a government that will fight for them, not abandon them,” Ms O’Neill said.
“While Labor is doing everything we can to protect regional aviation, the Nationals have made it clear they oppose any intervention to help.
“The Nationals’ confused, contradictory statements prove they have no plan for regional aviation and no concern for the communities that rely on it.”
Mr Lawrence said he is concerned about the airline’s future, hence the petition.
“Obviously Rex is in administration at the moment,” he said. “But if a private buyer can’t be found, then the Albanese government has committed to have a public buyout, and we want to put pressure on the opposition to also agree to that.
“I’ve come out as a Labor representative from the state upper house and the Duty for Barwon, to help launch the petition.”
The petition was officially launched on Friday, April 4 at an event at the Astra Hotel.
“Rex is too important to fail, it’s really well established and has been a commercially successful airline that obviously bit off more than it could chew as a consequence of COVID, but is basically a good operation and Labor’s committed to keeping it in the air,” Mr Lawrence said.
“The Nationals have basically said that the commitment that Albo has made is a step too far and they’re not willing to make the same commitment.
“I think what it really gets down to is, do you as a party of government support a public buyer of Rex? At the moment our boat does and they don’t.”
Mr Fell, a local himself, said that the closure of Rex would be very hard on the community.
“It’s just going to be very, very difficult for isolated communities like us, and others around the electorate,” he said.
