Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. I refer to his comment this morning relating to Qantas:

No one is going to reduce its Australianism and the number of employees that it has in this country …

Given the Prime Minister's refusal to endorse your position, and the fact that the government's proposed changes to the Qantas Sale Act will allow Qantas to move maintenance workers, cabin crew and engineers offshore, does he stand by his comments—that no Australian jobs will be lost—of just hours ago?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order: I put it to you that a question cannot simply be a false assertion followed by political rhetoric. His statement about the Prime Minister's answer to the earlier question is simply false. The opposition needs to sharpen up their act when it comes to questions but this question certainly cannot stand.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler on the point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was very clear; it is in the transcript from the Deputy Prime Minister on the doors this morning.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to table it, so he can remember what he said.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was trying to help.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, I do not require the help of the member for Grayndler. On the point of order raised by the Leader of the House: there is plenty of precedent for statements being made which are refuted in answers, and I am sure ministers are very capable of making their case. I call the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Maybe the opposition has not quite figured it out, but Qantas is still 60 per cent Australian owned and, yet, unfortunately, it has had to announce that 5,000 people will no longer be required to operate its services within Australia. So here it is, a majority Australian owned airline announcing 5,000 redundancies. The reality is, whether an airline is foreign owned or Australian owned, it is going to require a large number of employees to operate its services and provide its facilities in this country. It is not practical to fly those people in and out every day so that they can run a service from Melbourne to Adelaide. Whether the airline is 100 per cent owned by Australians or 100 per cent owned by people from other parts of the world, they are still going to need Australian jobs to provide these kinds of services. Frankly, my assessment would be that a foreign owned airline would require the same number of people to run a service in Australia as an Australia owned airline would.

I hope that in the future Qantas will continue to grow and expand and provide more services across this nation. If it does, then it is going to employ more Australians. If we pass the legislation that is currently before the parliament, that will give Qantas the best possible opportunity to grow and expand its services and to provide more Australian jobs, more opportunities for young Australians to work in the industry and more opportunities for Australia to enjoy the quality services that Qantas provides at the present time.

Virgin provides jobs, even though Virgin is part foreign owned. Qantas provides jobs. It has some level of foreign ownership. Rex provides jobs in this country, even though it has a high level of foreign ownership. The ownership of the company does not in any way change the absolutely fundamental fact that to run air services in Australia you need to employ Australians—and many thousands of them.