Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Madam Acting Deputy President. I accept your invitation absolutely. Mr Leigh, the assistant minister for competition, says:

I look to Europe with its range of low-cost carriers and see what looks like an even more competitive ecosystem …

Really? I thought the job of Mr Leigh, the assistant minister for competition, was to look after the aviation ecosystem in this country. But, no—he says: 'Don't look here. Look at Europe.'

So the question still stands. With the ACCC having released its Airline competition in Australia report in June this year—which, I might add, exposed flight delays, flight cancellations, excessive profits and terrible experiences of customers—why won't the government continue to extend this particular monitoring regime for the protection of consumers and for the protection of competition? That would be a very, very simple first step. I would have thought Mr Leigh, the member for Fenner, would have come to work today, Monday, and said, 'Dr Chalmers, I've got an idea'— (Time expired)