Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee — hearing of 11 September 2026: transcript & video · Polyfact

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Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee

11 September 2026

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Contents updated on 11 Sept 2026

Rex’s evidence covers post‑administration context, rising cost pressures on thin regional routes, its stance on the proposed consumer protection bill, and the role of Commonwealth support in sustaining services, before moving into fleet transition constraints and pilot workforce economics under competitive pressure from major airlines.

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Rex — regional cost pressures and regulatory settings

36:01

Hearing opening and Rex regional cost pressures

36:01

Hearing opening and Rex corporate context

36:01

Committee opening and procedural remarks

36:01

Rex opening statement — business profile and key policy issues

37:43

Airport charges, runway funding and thin-route viability

42:28

Chair: impact of airport and infrastructure charges

42:28

Senators: Rex share of Melbourne runway and noise costs

46:23

Airservices and Melbourne charges on thin routes

49:19

Commonwealth engine loan, maintenance costs and Saab fleet strategy

50:46

Commonwealth loan and engine overhaul costs

50:46

Unscheduled removals, wildlife damage and fleet renewal constraints

53:32

Defective overhauled engines and MRO bottlenecks

58:30

Engine variants and Saab 340 fleet rationale

01:00:18

Consumer bill, regional service continuity and route regulation

01:03:34

Consumer bill, regional delays and service continuity

01:03:34

Consumer protection bill and regional delay compensation

01:03:34

Acting Chair Bragg — Commonwealth support and liquidation risk

01:06:04

Rex network economics — cross‑subsidies and scale

01:08:49

Replacement of Rex services — operational and slot constraints

01:11:33

Regional route viability, competition and regulation

01:13:18

Albury–Melbourne and Devonport — thin routes, competition and ACCC oversight

01:13:18

State‑regulated intrastate routes and King Island/Burnie restructuring

01:18:12

Commonwealth support, fleet decisions and pilot workforce

01:20:48

Commonwealth support, fleet strategy and pilot workforce

01:20:48

Senator Lambie — Commonwealth support and fleet replacement

01:20:48

Rex — ATR option, pilot training costs and retention

01:25:28

Royal Flying Doctor Service — regional health access and airstrip policy

01:28:49

RFDS evidence — remote health access and airstrip funding

01:28:49

Transition from Rex witnesses to RFDS panel

01:28:49

Rex session closure and call of RFDS witnesses

01:28:49

RFDS — organisational profile and airstrip infrastructure challenges

01:30:39

RFDS — dependence on regional air services for healthcare access

01:36:33

Senator Allman-Payne — reliance on regional airlines

01:36:33

Flight cancellations, telehealth fallback and travel costs

01:40:50

WA PATS scheme — scope, gaps and delays

01:42:18

Models for essential intrastate routes and local input

01:44:48

Evidence for increased subsidies and resident fare impacts

01:47:28

RFDS — operating costs, aeromedical coordination and airstrip upgrades

01:50:03

Senator Lambie — RFDS costs, landing fees and backup services

01:50:03

Senator Dolega — priority airstrip upgrades and roles of governments

01:55:03

Airservices Australia — pricing, disruptions, infrastructure and safety oversight

01:57:20

Opening context, recent disruptions and regional impacts

01:57:20

Opening statement and recent Sydney/Melbourne disruptions

01:57:20

Airservices Australia panel — introductions and opening statement

01:57:20

Chair — Sydney and Melbourne delays, attribution and transparency

02:02:03

Airservices — Sydney on-call staffing resilience plan

02:06:36

Regional operations, pricing impacts and passenger consequences

02:08:11

Sydney regional flights — delays, cancellations and attribution

02:08:11

Proposed 12.3% annual price rises and charging basis

02:11:07

Regional vs capital city charges — Albury–Melbourne comparison

02:13:52

Senator Lambie — sector viability and passenger compensation

02:18:07

Airservices Australia — funding, infrastructure and safety scrutiny

02:21:01

Airservices capital program, staffing and funding model

02:21:01

End-of-life critical assets and $4.25b capex program

02:21:01

Senator Lambie — ATC recruitment, redundancies and staffing levels

02:23:16

Airport-by-airport ATC requirements and regional tower resilience

02:29:05

Sydney controller shortfall, housing costs and data request

02:30:20

Chair Cadell — airline compensation and funding model limits

02:32:55

ARFF infrastructure — Cairns station, funding and asset age

02:34:53

Senator Dolega — Cairns ARFF facility timeline and interim conditions

02:34:53

ARFF facilities funding concerns and visible leadership

02:38:28

Aging ARFF stations, obsolescence and post‑COVID capex bubble

02:45:53

Senate committee — Airservices staffing, safety and reporting

02:40:41

Senator Dolega — ATC retirement scheme design and impacts

02:40:41

Chair Cadell — Sydney disruption briefings and TIBA service variations

02:50:13

Senators — safety, levies and incentives

02:53:01

Chair Cadell — ATSB report timing and adjournment

02:55:51

Regional air services access and affordability pressures

03:47:10

Regional and mainland air services — cost and access pressures

03:47:10

Regional and island aviation challenges — fares and medical access

03:47:10

RDA Mid North Coast — regional aviation challenges and policy proposals

03:47:10

Q — Chair Cadell: Lord Howe and Norfolk medical access

03:57:15

Mainland regional airports — service loss, fare gaps and security funding

04:01:31

Mainland regional airports, fare gaps and WA-style airfare model

04:01:31

Uniform security levy and multi-use regional airports

04:04:45

Regional access obligations and latent demand

04:05:55

NSW RDAs’ joint stance and Lord Howe access risks

04:05:55

NSW RDA joint position and Lord Howe access risks

04:05:55

RDAs’ role in route business cases and conditions on public support

04:08:35

Regional routes — public service obligations and data gaps

04:12:19

Obligation to sustain thin routes and triggers for state review

04:12:19

RDA witness — route data, low‑cost carriers and latent demand

04:16:49

Chair Cadell — Airservices staffing resilience and regional health access risks

04:18:48

Regional airports — funding, security and service viability

04:27:16

Regional airport evidence — connectivity and cost structures

04:27:16

Whyalla council evidence — connectivity and airport finances

04:27:16

Chair Cadell links and Whyalla GM statement

04:27:16

Whyalla CEO — airport deficit and national security levy proposal

04:30:45

Broome International Airport — role, costs and regulatory settings

04:35:14

Broome International Airport CEO — private ownership and policy asks

04:35:14

Senator Lambie — Broome costs, margins and airline agreements

04:38:28

Whyalla and Broome airports — security funding, viability and service reliability

04:42:30

Whyalla Airport — traffic decline, security costs and ownership burden

04:42:30

Senator Lambie — Whyalla traffic decline, Rex exit and FIFO impacts

04:42:30

Whyalla CEO — rebuttal of Rex claims and security levy impact

04:47:44

Whyalla security screening — federal funding gap and Rex exit rationale

04:53:40

Senator Lambie — returning Whyalla Airport to Commonwealth ownership

04:55:44

Broome Airport — operating model, costs and federal approvals

04:59:22

Broome Airport — seasonality, security charges and fare impact

04:59:22

Broome Airport — first port of entry infrastructure and federal approvals

05:05:37

Whyalla and Broome — airport viability, service reliability and cancellation impacts

05:09:01

Whyalla Airport — financial viability, fixed costs and service reliability

05:09:01

Cancellations in Broome and Whyalla — regional health and tourism impacts; session close

05:13:53

Regional aviation economics and sustainable funding

05:27:09

Regional aviation challenges and funding models

05:27:09

Regional aviation context, risks and initial recommendations

05:27:09

Regional Capitals Australia — opening statement and key recommendations

05:27:09

Chair Cadell — airport losses, size breakdown and security levy

05:32:57

Infrastructure funding mechanisms and Dubbo Airport case study

05:35:18

Available funding pools and call for a dedicated regional airport fund

05:35:18

Dubbo Airport case study — emergency roles, runway upgrade and security charges

05:38:29

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Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee

11 September 2026

Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee Fri, 11 Sept 2026 Australian Parliament

36:00 - 37:15

Speaker 1

Right. I declare open this hearing of the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee into regional aviation.

I'm the chair, Senator Ross Cadell. I'm joined by Senator Josh Delega and Senator Jackie Lambie. Welcome all. These are public proceedings, being recorded and live video streamed via the Parliament's website, and a Hansard transcript is being made. I remind all witnesses that in giving evidence to the committee, they are protected by parliamentary privilege.

It is unlawful for anyone to threaten or disadvantage a witness on account of evidence given to a committee, and such action may be treated by the Senate as a contempt. It is also a contempt to give false or misleading evidence. Witnesses also have the right to request to be heard in camera. If a witness objects to answering a question, they should state the ground on which the objection is made, and the committee will determine whether it will insist on an answer, having regard to under which the ground is claimed.

If the committee determines to insist upon an answer, a witness may request that the answer be given in camera. I also remind senators of their obligations under the behavioral code for Australian parliamentarians to treat witnesses with dignity, courtesy, fairness and respect. And finally, I remind witnesses who are appearing via video conference, which I don't think is anyone. Not here. To mute their microphones.

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