Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter attended the Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) Annual National Conference in Cairns yesterday.

Mr Katter addressed the 80 international, local and national delegates attending the conference and spoke about his family’s involvement as one of the early investors in Qantas, the offshoring of our aircraft engineering and technician jobs and the impeccable safety standard in Australian aviation industry.

"Qantas isn't Australian when the jobs disappear and the maintenance and safety is sent offshore,” Mr Katter said to the delegates.

Mr Katter was the keynote speaker at the ALAEA’s 50th anniversary celebration, noting his grave concerns for the future of the industry with thousands of aircraft maintenance jobs being offshored countries that pay their workers “peanuts”.

"As sure as the sun rises our safety standard in aviation will continue to disappear.

"Our Australian aircraft engineers and technicians hand down technology and knowhow to future generations and now with jobs being offshored, the knowledge isn't being ‘handed down’; it’s being ‘handed over’.

"The reference books and instruction manuals are written in English, but when English is your second language the translation and hence practical effect may be very different indeed,” Mr Katter stated at the conference.

In February 2013 Mr Katter introduced laws to ensure that Australian airlines such as Qantas remain majority owned by, and employ Australians.

The laws , written in consultation with the ALAEA (Aviation Laws Amendment (Australian Ownership and Operation) Bill 2013) ensures Australian airlines can only access domestic flights and ports by meeting a definition of “Australian”, namely:

• the airline be 51 per cent owned by Australian citizens or residents (including by ownership of shares in a company);
• the airline conducts at least 80 per cent of its aircraft maintenance in Australia; and
• the airline’s crews must reside in Australia.

Mr Katter praised the ALAEA members for standing up and fighting for the future of Australian aviation.

"Never underestimate what little people can achieve.

"The future should be golden, if we can protect jobs and keep our airlines majority Australian owned,” Mr Katter said.