Media Release

KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter MP has today launched a scathing attack on QANTAS management after QANTAS announced a tax loss of $2.84 billion.

“The announcement of the $2.8b losses is just another blow to an iconic Australian business,” said Mr Katter.

Mr Katter said the QANTAS financial losses and the previous announcement of thousands of Australian job losses could signal the end of an Australian institution.

“Australians could have predicted this loss after previous ALP-LNP policies of privatisation and the implementation of a free skies policy that has continually eroded the back-bone of QANTAS.

“QANTAS, to date, belongs to the Australian people.

“Once again incompetent Governments flogged it off to foreigners – who are running the company."

Mr Katter said previous Governments are to blame for pulling apart our once-proud Australian national airline QANTAS and sending thousands of jobs offshore.

“Previously there were only two companies licensed to operate in Australia – ANSETT and QANTAS.

“With the implementation of a free sky policy, companies like Virgin and other foreign airlines were allowed access to our international ports with no regulatory restrictions.

“So foreign airlines are reaping the rewards of being a so called ‘Australian airline’ yet the airline maintenance work and majority of its jobs are based overseas.

“We should be forcing foreign companies to move the jobs and maintenance back to Australia and have a fair dinkum level playing field,” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter said it is practically impossible to sustain two airlines in Australia and believes these losses may compromise the airlines impeccable safety record.

“We had the world’s safest airline with every dollar earned going into Australia’s pocket - we now have a company that is increasingly foreign owned and increasingly having the same lousy safety record as every other airline in the world.

“Once you take away all the jobs, on shore engineering and sell the assets to foreign corporations – all that is left is a marketing name ‘The Flying Kangaroo’ - which will be a lie,” Mr Katter said.

In February 2013 Mr Katter introduced legislation into the Australian Parliament which ensures that Australian airlines can only access domestic flights and ports by meeting the definition of “Australian”; namely that the airline conducts at least 80 per cent of its aircraft maintenance in Australia and that its airline crews must reside in Australia.