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
Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (17:48): We have all been there, no matter whether you fly Jetstar, Qantas or Virgin. You show up to the airport two hours early to catch your flight, only to find it has been delayed by hours, or, in some cases, cancelled until the next day—maintenance issues, fog rolling in, crew shortages and an earlier delay in the day pushing your flight past the curfew.
While the delay itself is frustrating enough, what often makes it worse is the lack of communication, the lack of support and the lack of accountability from airlines when things go wrong. Australian people are patient people. They understand, whether delays happen, safety must always come first.
But what they do not understand is why, when they are stranded, they are left completely on their own. In the last 12 months, more than half of the flying public experienced a flight disruption and two-thirds were unsatisfied with how it was handled by the airline. More than 80 per cent of the passengers who experience a disruption said they received little or no support.
Currently, in Australia, there are very few enforceable protections for aviation consumers. This is simply not good enough because in a continent as vast as ours aviation is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Australia is home to 27 million people spread across an area larger than Europe.
People rely on aviation to visit loved ones, attend universities, seek medical treatment, run businesses, transport freight, support tourism and keep communities connected. For regional Australians in particular, aviation is often the only practical transport option available. Aviation is essential infrastructure for modern Australia.
Australians deserve an aviation sector that is safe, reliable, transparent and fair. Right now, too many consumers feel powerless when things go wrong. Recent figures show that satisfaction with the performance of domestic airlines by Australians is almost 15 per cent lower than flying on their international counterparts.
That is why the Albanese Labor government is introducing the Aviation Consumer Protection Bill. This bill represents the most significant reform to aviation consumer protections in Australia's history. It establishes clear, legal, enforceable rights for passengers.
It creates proper accountability mechanisms for airlines and airports, and it finally gives Australians an independent avenue to resolve disputes when they are treated unfairly. At its core, this legislation is about restoring balance. For too long, the system has been weighted entirely towards airlines.
Passengers have had little leverage, little clarity and very few rights. This bill changes that. The first major reform in this legislation is the establishment of the Aviation Consumer Protections Charter.
This charter will set minimum standards for the provisions of airline, airport and accessibility services for aviation consumers. The government has already released a draft of the chapter in a consultation paper outlining six proposed rights: first, aviation customers must have the right to be treated with dignity and respect in an accessible and inclusive environment; second, customers have the right to accurate, timely and accessible information and customer service; third, customers have the right to prompt and fair remedies and support during and after cancellation, delays or disruptions; fourth, customers have the right to safe, timely baggage handling and fair remedies for baggage damage or delays; fifth, customers have the right to protect their personal information; and, last, customers have the right to provide feedback or complaints and have them responded to in a timely manner.
These may sound like common sense principles—and they are—but right now too many Australians do not receive even these basic standards of treatment. Under this bill, if a flight is delayed for more than three hours due to circumstances within the airline's control, airlines will be required to assist passengers to rebook flights at no additional cost. This may include rebooking on another airline if necessary.
When passengers incur reasonable costs because of a delay or cancellation, airlines will be required to provide appropriate support, including meals, transport and overnight accommodation. Importantly, if a flight is cancelled and a passenger is not rebooked, the airline must provide a refund within 14 days in the original form of payment—no airline credits, no vouchers, no complicated loopholes, a proper refund.
Australians work hard for their money. When they pay for a service and that service is not delivered, they deserve fair treatment. This bill recognises that principle.
The second pillar of this legislation is the establishment of the Aviation Consumer Protection Authority within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sports and the Arts. This regulator will oversee compliance with the charter. It will monitor industry behaviour.
It will investigate systemic issues, and it will ensure airlines and airports uphold the decisions of the ombudsman. Importantly, airlines will also be required to provide detailed reporting on delays and cancellations, including weather disruptions, where within their control. This transparency is crucial.
Consumers deserve to know the truth about the airlines' performance and regulators need accurate data to determine whether obligations under the charter have been met. The third major reform is the creation of an independent aviation consumer ombudsman. This will provide passengers with a free, accessible independent dispute resolution mechanism.
When consumers believe an airline or an airport has failed to uphold their rights under the charter, they will be able to lodge a complaint with the ombudsman. The ombudsman will help resolve disputes quickly and fairly, without passengers needing to navigate expensive legal processes. This body will have equal representation from industry, consumer advocates and an independent chair.
All airports with more than one million passengers a year, as well as all domestic and international airlines operating to Australia, will be required to participate in this scheme. This legislation also responds directly to the findings of the government's 2024 Aviation white paper. In the wake of the Qantas ghost booking scandal and a sharp loss in confidence in our aviation sector post pandemic, the Aviation white paper recognised the need for stronger consumer protection, greater transparency and a more effective dispute resolution mechanism within the aviation sector.
It acknowledged that the existing complaints framework operated by the airlines themselves was not transparent and was fragmented and ineffective. This bill delivers on those recommendations. It establishes a modern framework that balances a strong aviation industry with strong consumer protection.
Because these two goals are not in conflict, aviation business can succeed while still treating customers fairly. In fact, stronger consumer confidence benefits the entire industry. I want to acknowledge the many Australians who have shared their stories with me—parents stranded overnight with young children; regional passengers missing medical appointments; workers unable to get home; families separated during emergencies; people left waiting for hours with no information, no support and nowhere to turn.
These stories matter, and this legislation responds to them, because every delay or every cancelled flight is someone stressed, exhausted and trying to get home. That is why this reform matters. I want to take a moment to speak directly to the Australians watching this debate at home, because this issue affects almost everyone.
Maybe it was the flight you booked months in advance to finally take your kids on a holiday. Maybe it was travelling interstate to see your parents. Maybe it was getting home after working away for weeks.
Maybe it was a funeral you nearly missed or a wedding you never made it to. Australians understand that delays happen. We understand safety comes first.
But what frustrates people is being treated like they do not matter. Being stuck at the airport with no answers, watching the departure board change every hour while nobody can tell you what's going on, and spending hundreds of dollars on meals, taxis and hotels because your flight was cancelled, only to fight for months to get reimbursed is not good enough. Australians are tired of feeling powerless.
This bill says something simple but important: if you buy a ticket, you deserve fair treatment, you deserve clear communication, you deserve support when things go wrong, and you deserve someone independent to turn to if the system fails you. These reforms are about restoring trust, because flying in Australia should not feel like a roll of the dice. It should feel reliable, transparent and fair, and this is exactly what Labor is delivering.
This bill will not eliminate every delay. It will not stop bad weather. It will not remove the operational realities of aviation, but it will ensure Australians are treated fairly when disruptions occur.
It will ensure there are consequences when standards are not met. It will ensure passengers finally have rights, and that means something. The final parts of these bills deal with the handling of aircraft noise complaints by Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence.
This bill will establish an aircraft noise ombudsman within the department, to be responsible for undertaking independent reviews of aircraft noise complaints. When changes are proposed, it will always be able to ensure that community consultation has been conducted to expected standards. I want to thank the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, who is here in the chamber, for her hard work and dedication on this legislation.
I hope to see its implementation over the next few years lifting the standards of the whole Australian aviation industry. I commend this bill to the House.