Aviation Consumer Protection Bill 2026, Aviation Consumer Protection (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026, Aviation Consumer Protection Levy Bill 2026, Aviation Consumer Protection Levy (Collection) Bill 2026

Dr HAINES (Indi) (12:50): I rise today to speak on the four aviation bills being discussed in this cognate debate, and I'll be offering some brief remarks. These bills create a new aviation consumer protection framework, delivering on commitments the government made in its 2024 aviation white paper. The main bill, the Aviation Consumer Protection Bill 2026, will establish a framework, although implementation detail will sit in regulations and instruments to be made later.

This will include a new aviation consumer protections charter, which will set out minimum standards that airlines and airports must meet for things like cancellations, delays, baggage, refunds, complaints handling, and assistance for passengers who have a disability. A new regulator, the Aviation Consumer Protection Authority, will enforce standards and take action against systemic or repeated failures, with civil penalties for serious breaches.

These penalties could total several millions of dollars. A separate body, the Aviation Consumer Ombudsperson, will run a dispute resolution scheme that passengers can use to resolve individual complaints, and every regulated airline and airport must join it. The initiatives included in the bills will be paid for by industry, not by taxpayers, through a levy on regulated entities set out in the levy bill and the collection bill.

I welcome stronger consumer protections in the aviation sector. They're overdue. They're sorely needed.

However, I am concerned about a lack of detail on exactly how the proposed framework will operate. While exemptions for small council-owned airports are truly welcome, I'm concerned about whether this could have unintended, negative impacts for regional consumers. There's a reason regional Australians have a sceptical view.

In regional Australia we're too often the last to receive and the first to lose. Not too long ago Qantas announced the discontinuation of its Albury-Melbourne route. This announcement came as a shock to the community and has real implications for medical specialists who travel to and from Albury-Wodonga to provide crucial healthcare services that are otherwise completely unavailable in our regional community.

I understand that profits may not be high for some regional routes, and the recent fuel crisis has undoubtedly had an impact. But when things are tough for airlines it's almost always the regional routes that are the first to be cancelled. This exacerbates the frustrations of regional people, including me—that we're treated differently to those in the cities.

It's why I'm concerned that the aviation consumer protections framework, including the consumer protections charter, will include a carve out for regional airports and carriers. And while there are genuine reasons to treat our smaller council-owned airports differently to major international hubs, such as Tullamarine and Kingsford Smith, it's not clear whether regional aviation passengers will be left with a lower level of consumer protection just because they're using a smaller airport.

I'm also concerned that the bill proposes significant reforms to the aviation sector without a clear impact analysis. This is contrary to good lawmaking principles, and it makes it harder for parliamentarians such as myself or for the broader public to know what the new framework will mean for prices and, importantly, for availability of flights. I'm hopeful that the consumer protections charter will improve protection for consumers and make the big airlines accountable to their customers.

Too often, they've taken us for a ride before we can even get off the ground, and that needs to change. However, there are credible questions surrounding this bill and whether it will achieve its aim. I hope the government will work in good faith across the parliament to ensure that the benefits from these bills will flow to all consumers, including those flying in and out of regional airports.

Thank you. (Quorum formed)