Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge the passing of Western Australia's great sporting voice, Dennis Cometti. For more than half a century, Dennis provided the soundtrack to Australian sport. His deep, clear voice; his dry humour; his meticulous preparation; and his remarkable feel for the moment made him one of the finest commentators this country has ever produced. For those of us from Western Australia, Dennis always was one of our own. Born in Geraldton in 1949, he built a remarkable career that spanned 51 seasons of football and the entire history of the AFL national competition.

Before he came to the microphone, Dennis was a footballer himself, playing with west Perth and later in Perth's suburban competitions, including the Sunday football league, where he played for Wanneroo and Maddington. Those Perth suburbs' grounds helped shape the man who would later become the voice of the AFL. He understood the game from the grassroots up, from local ovals in places like Wanneroo to the biggest stages in Australian sport. Dennis Cometti had a rare gift. He made the game sound bigger, brighter and often a little funnier. Western Australians are proud to claim him as one of our own. I extend my condolences, as I'm sure every Western Australian does, to his wife, Velia; his children, Mark and Ricki; and all who knew and loved him. Vale, Dennis.

I've just returned from my latest visit to the Pilbara, the engine room of the Australian economy. While I was in Karratha speaking with local residents, business owners and families, one issue came up time and time again: the cost of regional airfares. For many people in Western Australia's north, the price of simply travelling within their own state has become a major cost-of-living burden and, increasingly, a source of isolation. Last week, a petition in the WA state parliament calling for cheaper regional airfares closed with more than 10,000 signatures collected. The petitioners made it clear that airfares between Perth and regional centres remained unaffordable for many residents, placing financial strain on families, limiting access to essential services and discouraging tourism and regional development.

They acknowledged the importance of the WA state government's capped residential fares scheme but called for it to be made permanent at a reduced level or, at the very least, maintained at its current settings alongside stronger cooperation with airlines to get better outcomes for aviation consumers in Western Australia that are both sustainable and affordable. What this petition demonstrates is the depth of frustration in regional communities across Western Australia. People are not asking for special treatment; they are asking for fairness. They're asking for the ability to visit family, attend medical appointments, support their children's education and participate in everyday life without facing costs that would be extraordinary anywhere else in our country.

Regional Western Australians feel they are being priced out of connectivity. While the state government's decision to extend the airfare cap scheme for another five years is welcome, the reality on the ground is that the caps are still too high, particularly during so-called peak periods, which residents say seem to apply most of the time. From July next year, capped one-way fares during high-demand periods will rise to $265 for destinations within just 1,000 kilometres of Perth and to $385 for those further away, affecting communities such as Karratha, Broome, Port Hedland, Newman and Kununurra. Think about that. For a family, that quickly becomes thousands of dollars.

One Karratha mother has estimated that the changes will cost her family an extra $860 just to travel to Perth. Others told me they are now choosing to drive 16 hours rather than fly, because it's cheaper, a choice that raises potential safety concerns on remote roads. I also heard concerns about access to specialist health care, with some treatments not covered by travel assistance schemes, meaning families face not only higher medical bills but also higher flight and accommodation costs on top. For communities that are already managing high living costs, as many are in the region, this compounds the financial pressure significantly. Western Australians living in our resource-rich regions contribute enormously to the national economy. They should not feel cut off from the rest of their own state. Affordable regional aviation is not a privilege; it is essential infrastructure, and governments must continue to work with airlines and industry to deliver fairer, more-accessible airfares for WA's regional communities.