Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to get a question from the member for Swan. I know the member for Swan has been a great advocate for infrastructure in his electorate, including the grand gateway near Perth Airport. It is indeed a great vision and it is great to have his advocacy for it.

Western Australia welcomed some 888,000 international visitors in the last year, which represents an increase of some 19 per cent over the past three years. This is on top of the 9.2 million domestic visitors who travel to WA, which represents an increase of some 40 per cent since 2013—great news for the tourism industry in Western Australia and, particularly, for Perth Airport. I know that the member for Swan was at the official opening of the new airport terminal, which was opened by the member for Stirling, and that he has congratulated Perth Airport in the House on this development.

This is just the beginning of developments and investment in tourism at Perth Airport. The current vision for the airport is a world-class airport experience operating from one precinct, airport central, that will offer terminal and passenger facilities for some 40 million passengers a year and beyond. On top of this, the CEO of the Qantas group, Alan Joyce, has confirmed that the airline is looking seriously at a Perth to London direct flight, once the airline receives the new 787 Dreamliner. This is great news for employment and tourism in Australia's West Coast.

But I note the member also asked about any impediments to the development of Perth Airport. I bring to the attention of the House an article in The Australian newspaper from earlier this year that had the headline, 'CFMEU officials fined over Perth Airport project blockade.' The article said:

The Federal Court found senior officials from the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union have a "cavalier attitude" to complying with industrial laws as it handed out fines of $21,000 over a blockade at the $80 million Perth Airport expansion project.

In a judgment, the Justice found that 'the CFMEU arranged for about 100 protesters to blockade the airport project in 2013'. Does Labor ever say anything against the CFMEU on this? Do you ever hear from the shadow tourism minister about the militant and extreme CFMEU? You never hear a peep. The reason you never hear from them, the reason Labor never says anything about the CFMEU, the reason the Labor Party is silent about the direct links between the Labor Party and bikies, between the Labor Party, the CFMEU and, indeed, organised crime—the reason you never hear about complaints from the Labor Party—

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