Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has told Clarence Valley Council’s general manager that he “would personally take up our cause” to find a replacement airline to service the valley’s airport.
Regional Express airlines (REX) ceased its service to the airport after taking offence at a comment by Cr Deborah Novak; the airline subsequently rejected CVC’s ‘apology’, “expressing regret for any perceptions of negativity causing offence made towards REX at Council’s May meeting”.
The council’s general manager, Ashley Lindsay, said he and the mayor met with Mr McCormack at the funding announcement for the Grafton Waterfront Precinct Plan works.
“Mr McCormack said he would personally take up our cause with his contacts and he gave me his word that he will consider the circumstances that we are in,” Mr Lindsay said.
“He actually rang me back on Sunday night [July 26] at about 6.30pm.
“[He said] he’d already had four or five discussions with REX and followed up with his department.”
Meanwhile, Mr Lindsay said he had contacted regional airlines Fly Pelican and Fly Corporate, as well as Qantas.
“They gave me a good hearing,” Mr Lindsay said.
“When I approached Qantas I said, ‘Am I dreaming here; am I wasting my time?’
“He said, ‘No, no.’ We’ll give it due consideration and have a look across the whole network and see whether it’s viable.’
“He got back to me a week ago and advised, at this time due to COVID, it’s just not going to happen for them, they just can’t introduce the service.”
Mr Lindsay pointed out that one complication involved the Australian Government.
“All regional airline services are pretty much subsidised by the federal government at the moment, so, effectively, what the government is doing is subsidising the airlines to provide these services into regional communities right across Australia,” he said.
“Any new service that comes to Grafton, at the moment, the way that it works, the subsidy doesn’t apply to that new service.
“I’ve also reached out to the regional director of the Federal Transport Department and spoken with her about the subsidy and the process.
“She indicated to me that, I think, it’s to be reviewed at the end of September.
“So any service that we get to replace REX, we’ll have to apply to the government, I would think, to try and get them to include the new service into that subsidised scheme.
“The other issue that we’ve got, we need to get slots into Sydney [airport] and, again, that becomes an issue for us.”
Note: Mr McCormack’s office said it would endeavour to respond to the Independent’s enquiry prior to the paper’s print deadline.