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
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (15:43): Living in Australia means understanding distance—not the distance between suburbs or neighbouring towns, but the enormous distances that shape our entire nation. From Perth to Sydney, from Darwin to Adelaide, from regional communities to major cities and from remote towns to specialist health care, education and economic opportunity, aviation is what keeps this country connected.
For millions of Australians, boarding a plane is not some occasional luxury; it is part of daily life. Workers fly interstate to keep industries operating. Regional families rely on aviation such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service to access medical appointments and specialist care.
Businesses depend on reliable air travel to grow investment and create jobs. Tourism operators depend on flights arriving safely and on time to keep local economies alive. Families separated by thousands of kilometres rely on aviation to stay connected to the people they love.
That is the reality of living in Australia. Because aviation matters so much to this country, Australians deserve an aviation system that treats people fairly. Passengers deserve transparency when flights are delayed.
Families deserve support when cancellations occur. Travellers deserve assurance that, when something goes wrong, somebody is accountable. Too many Australians have lost that confidence in recent years.
Depending on which airlines they've booked, wishing friends good luck to even get off the ground has often been a running joke. People have sat stranded in terminals for hours without updates. Parents have missed weddings, funerals, milestones and family moments because flights were cancelled with little explanation.
Travellers have spent days trying to chase refunds or basic assistance for disruptions, and many Australians feel like the system has been tilted too far away from the consumer for far too long. That is why the reforms before the House today are so important. The Albanese government is delivering the most significant reforms to the aviation sector in more than a decade.
These reforms are about restoring balance, restoring accountability and bringing back confidence for the travelling public. As discussed already, aviation plays a critical role in Australia's economy and national life. Regional connectivity depends on it.
Trade depends on it. Tourism depends on it. The movement of workers, students and families depend on it.
Because aviation is such an essential part of modern Australia, Australians rightly expect high standards from airlines and airports. However, for years passengers have often been left navigating confusing complaint systems, with little clarity around their rights. People have felt powerless, with complaints processes dragging on in a seemingly endless fashion, and the current system, where airlines are largely left to police themselves, has simply not delivered the standards Australians deserve.
The Australian government recognised that change was needed. That is why during our first term we began laying the groundwork for reform. We released the Aviation white paper, we introduced reforms to improve competition at Sydney airport, we reinstated the ACCC's monitoring of airlines after those opposite planned to remove it and we released the draft aviation consumer charter of rights.
But identifying the problem was only the first step. Australians expected more than acknowledgement; they expected action to strengthen protections, improve accountability and restore confidence in the aviation system, and that is exactly what this government is now delivering. These Australian-first aviation consumer protections will establish clearer standards across the aviation sector and provide stronger protections for travellers.
Importantly, they will clarify airline obligations and outline the minimum assistance consumers should receive when scheduled flights are disrupted. That matters enormously because Australians should not need to argue for basic support after their travel plans collapse, nor should they be left wondering what their rights are after a cancellation or major delay.
One of the most important reforms in this package is the creation of the independent aviation consumer ombudsman. It is a major shift away from the old system, where too many Australians felt like complaints disappeared into a maze of automated responses, long wait times and endless frustration. For the first time, Australians will have access to an independent, external dispute-resolution process specifically designed to assist with aviation complaints.
Too many Australians have felt completely powerless when something goes wrong with their flight. Passengers are shuffled between online chatbots, customer service hotlines and automated emails, with little clarity about who is responsible for resolving their issue. Families dealing with cancelled flights have often spent days chasing refunds, accommodation support or even basic information about when they'll be able to get home.
Travellers should not have to spend hours sitting on hold, repeating the same story to different staff members or navigating complicated complaint systems simply to access support after a disruption. That frustration builds over time, and, when people lose faith that complaints will be handled fairly or efficiently, trust in the entire aviation system begins to erode.
The ombudsman will help provide fairness, transparency and accountability for customers navigating disputes with airlines and airports. Importantly, it will operate independently, and that independence matters. Australians deserve confidence that complaints are being reviewed fairly and objectively, not simply handled internally behind closed doors.
These reforms also pave the way for the Aviation Consumer Protections Charter. The charter will establish clear minimum standards for how aviation consumers should be treated. For too long, many Australians have struggled to understand exactly what rights they have when flights are delayed or cancelled.
Important information is often buried deep within lengthy terms and conditions or scattered across confusing airline websites that ordinary passengers should not have to navigate during already stressful situations. These reforms are about replacing uncertainty with clarity, ensuring travellers know exactly what standards airlines and airports are expected to meet and what level of support passengers should reasonably receive when disruptions occur.
A stronger aviation system relies on consumers knowing that the rules are transparent, the obligations are enforceable and that the travelling public will be treated fairly when things do not go to plan. Australians deserve certainty about what support should be available when disruptions occur. Whether that involves accommodation, transport, meals or refunds, consumers should understand their rights without needing to fight through layers of bureaucracy.
That is exactly what these reforms seek to improve. Supporting the charter will be the new Aviation Consumer Protection Authority. Its role will be to enforce compliance and ensure the standards outlined in the charter are upheld across the sector.
The government has taken a practical approach in establishing this authority within the department rather than creating a standalone agency. That ensures strong oversight while avoiding unnecessary duplication. Importantly, the ACCC will continue its broader role of overseeing competition and consumer issues within the aviation sector, including misleading or deceptive conduct by airlines and airports.
These reforms can complement the work rather than replace it. Another important measure in this legislation is the establishment of the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman. For communities living around airports, aircraft noise is not a theoretical issue.
It's something people live with every day. Families deserve to know that their concerns around aircraft noise are properly heard and independently reviewed. These reforms provide another important layer of accountability and transparency for communities impacted by aviation operations.
Again, this comes back to trust—trust that concerns will be heard, trust that systems are fair and trust that government is willing to stand up for communities and consumers alike. The evidence supporting these reforms is overwhelming. The Preparing for take-off survey highlighted just how widespread dissatisfaction has become amongst Australian travellers.
More than half of Australians experienced a flight disruption over a 12-month period, yet only one-third were satisfied with how those disruptions were handled. That should concern every member of this House. Even more concerning was the lack of support passengers reported receiving.
Of all travellers affected by disruptions, 82 per cent said they received no support at all—no meaningful assistance, no proper communication and often no clear explanation of what they were entitled to, just a pop-up notification or an email delivering some inconvenient news. At the same time, 81 per cent of Australians said they were not informed of their consumer rights during those disruptions.
That tells us the current system is failing consumers because protections only work if people understand them and can access them. The study also revealed widespread frustration with the complaints process. Only 39 per cent of people who made complaints were satisfied with the outcome.
Even fewer, just 17 per cent, were satisfied with the complaints process overall. The findings from the study make it clear that too many Australians feel let down by the current aviation system. Passengers are frustrated by poor communication, disappointed by a lack of support during disruptions and increasingly losing faith that complaints will be handled reasonably, transparently or in a reasonable timeframe.
Accessibility is another critical, important part of these reforms. Australians living with disabilities, medical conditions or injuries deserve the same level of access when travelling as everybody else, yet many continue to face unnecessary and unfair barriers. Around one in four travellers surveyed identified as having a disability, medical condition or injury.
Alarmingly, two out of five Australians in that category did not know how to access available assistance services. That is not acceptable in a modern aviation system. Accessible travel should not feel complicated or uncertain.
The Aviation Consumer Rights Charter will help ensure airlines and airports provide fair and reasonable treatment for all passengers, including Australians with accessibility needs. That is an important reform because aviation should connect Australians, not create additional barriers for them. The government has also carefully considered how these reforms will operate in practice.
Australia's aviation sector is diverse. Major metropolitan airports operate very differently to small regional airfields. Regional aviation is incredibly important to the connectivity of communities across the country.
Many smaller airports are council owned and operate with limited resources. That is why the framework allows sensible exemptions where appropriate. Under subordinate legislation, the government intends to exempt airports handling fewer than one million passengers annually from the framework.
This ensures the reforms focus on Australia's major airports and the overwhelming majority of passenger movements, while recognising the practical realities facing smaller regional facilities. That is a balanced approach—strong consumer protections where they are most needed combined with practical flexibility for smaller operators. The issue of compensation has also been considered carefully.
The government's priority is improving standards and ensuring passengers receive meaningful support when disruption occurs. International experience demonstrates that mandatory compensation schemes can often increase ticket prices without necessarily improving airline performance, and Australians are already dealing with significant cost-of-living pressures. That is why the government is taking a measured and balanced approach to these issues.
At this stage, airlines will not be required to provide automatic monetary compensation for cancellations or major delays. However, passengers will still be entitled to appropriate support when disruptions occur within an airline's control. That includes reasonable consequential costs such as accommodation, meals and transport.
Importantly, consumers should also receive proper refunds in cash or through their original payment method when flights are cancelled, unless they actively choose a travel credit instead. That is basic fairness. Australians should not have to fight to get their own money back when a service they have paid for is not provided to them.
These reforms represent something broader about the Albanese government's approach to consumer protection. We believe markets function best when consumers are treated fairly. We believe transparency matters.
We believe accountability matters, and we believe Australians deserve to know that large corporations will be held to appropriate standards. Those principles apply to the economy, and they apply to aviation, because aviation is too important to Australia to allow confidence in the industry to continue deteriorating. Families rely on aviation.
Regional communities rely on aviation. Industries rely on aviation. Our economy relies on aviation, and Australians deserve a system that recognises the importance of that responsibility.
These reforms are practical and are focused on improving outcomes for the travelling public. No reform will eliminate every delay or cancellation. Unexpected events will always occur in aviation, but Australians deserve to know that, when disruptions happen, they will be treated fairly, communicated with properly and supported appropriately.
That is what these reforms seek to achieve—a stronger aviation system, a fairer framework for consumers and a more accountable industry for Australians right across the country, no matter where they live.