ADJOURNMENT

Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (19:35): Having the airport in close proximity to my seat—in fact, on the border—means that many people who are employed in the aviation industry live in my electorate. Just recently I had the opportunity to speak to one of my constituents who is one of the dedicated and hardworking cabin crew members who, like thousands of Australians across the aviation industry, take enormous pride in serving the travelling public—as do the ground staff, the baggage handlers, the engineers, the back-office people with Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin and Rex that service the airline industry with dedication.

He spoke to me about growing concerns being felt throughout the aviation workforce—concerns about job security, concerns about increasing offshore recruitment and concerns that Australian aviation workers may be asked to compete against lower international wage standards simply to retain the jobs that they have spent years building careers around. This was a Jetstar staffer, and what they're finding is that, for their international lines, Jetstar are employing overseas cabin crew and giving fewer shifts to Australian crew.

That's not right, because the airlines, whether it be Qantas, Virgin or Jetstar, all have a licence to operate in this country—a privileged licence—and close to a monopoly as well. They also have a duty of care for Australian customers and for the people they employ. It's not just about profits; it's also about creating jobs here in Australia and ensuring that the Australian jobs that are currently in place are looked after and are maintained.

I understand there are times when industries perhaps have to look offshore when they can't fill positions here in Australia. That's not the case with the aviation industry. That's not the case with the on-board crew, and it's not the case with the ground staff either.

Therefore I think that they have that duty, as I said. I believe these concerns deserve to be heard because, behind every discussion about labour costs, productivity and international operations, there are real people—people paying mortgages, people raising families and people who have dedicated their careers to helping Australians travel safely, efficiently and comfortably every single day.

Our Australian aviation industry was built by Australian workers—workers for Virgin airlines, workers for Qantas, workers for Jetstar and workers for Rex. It was built by Australian pilots, engineers, baggage handlers, customer service staff, ground crew and cabin crew—as I said, the good staff of Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin and Rex. Let's not forget the Ansett staff that lost their jobs.

I know it was over 20 years ago, but a lot of them have now found their way into other airlines. The aviation industry was built by workers who have remained committed during some of the most difficult periods the industry has ever faced. Today there are increasing concerns about the growth of offshore crew bases and the gradual movement of aviation jobs away from Australia.

Only a month ago, there was an article in the Australian Financial Review that spoke about Qantas contemplating nearly a thousand jobs going offshore to India, which included everything from the finance department to call centres and a whole range of other parts of their business. Workers are concerned about the expansion of the overseas employment arrangements and what that means for Australian jobs, Australian wages and Australian working conditions.

Many fear that highly skilled Australian workers could be placed in competition with lower cost labour markets. That's already happening with some of those international lines, where they employ crew from Thailand, the Philippines and other areas when the plane stops at certain ports in those countries. Many fear that maintaining competitiveness may ultimately come at the expense of Australian wages and conditions and a spiral to the bottom, and many fear that secure Australian jobs could gradually disappear.

The aviation industry is an important part of Australia. It's an important service industry because we are a big nation and we need to travel. We travel quite regularly.

Australians are some of the most frequently travelling people in the world. I go back to the point that these airlines have a licence, and they also have an obligation to do the right thing by Australian workers and Australians. (Time expired)