Mr McCORMACK (Riverina—Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) (16:07): The Abbott-Truss government is absolutely committed to maintaining aviation jobs in Australia. We fully recognise the national interest in having a strong, viable aviation sector. That is why we are now taking the responsible action announced yesterday that we will not only ensure the future survival of Qantas but also protect as many aviation jobs in Australia as possible. This proposal, as outlined by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, is exactly what Qantas has asked for, and it is the most responsible course of action in the circumstances faced by the company. Responsibility: that is governing. It was not something we saw over the past six years but it is something we are starting to see under a responsible, mature, coalition government. The government's proposal is straightforward and even members opposite should understand it. In fact, it is my hope that they support it, but dreams are free. All we are proposing to do is level the playing field so that Qantas can compete on the same basis as its competitors, so that it can operate freely, in a responsible way. We are proposing to remove the shackles that Labor placed on Qantas when it sold the airline off. Labor sold the airline off— something that member for Gorton has not quite worked out yet. Specifically, the government proposes to repeal part 3 of the Qantas Sale Act, which places restrictions on the company's ownership and governance. By not supporting our proposal, Labor is risking Australian jobs. It is as simple as that. The next best thing we can do is to remove the carbon tax because it is a massive burden on all airlines, including Qantas. Yet those opposite, particularly the opposition in the Senate, along with Greens, refuse to accept the will of the Australian people. They refuse to accept this government's pledge to help Australian businesses and families by scrapping the carbon tax and relieving families of the impost placed on them by the previous government. The opposition refuses to accept that when the Australian people voted on 7 September 2013 the message was patently clear—they did not want a carbon tax, that they did not want a Labor government. Get with the program! So unlike those opposite, who actually privatised Qantas and imposed a carbon tax on Australian businesses and families, we are a government focused on keeping our promises. We are a government committed to removing the carbon tax and repealing the Qantas Sale Act and not playing favourites in the Australian aviation industry. Instead, we want to save the aviation industry money by listening to the Australian people and removing the $106 million cost which the carbon tax placed on Qantas by those opposite. We want Qantas to operate, as the Prime Minister said over and over again today in question time, under exactly the same rules as Virgin and other airlines and we do not want to subject any airline to a job-killing carbon tax. I represent a regional area and I know you do, too, Deputy Speaker Scott. Regional airlines, such as, Regional Express, Rex, provide a vital service to many communities throughout rural and remote Australia, just like the member for Farrer, Ms Ley, the minister here at the table. The member for Farrer is a pilot who knows full well the role Rex plays. Ms Ley: Invaluable. Mr McCORMACK: How true. The airline has 48 aircraft flying to 36 destinations. In December 2013, the company carried 84,000 passengers. Rex also faces the challenges of a highly competitive industry—aviation is a tough industry—and cost pressures such as high wage costs and a job-killing carbon tax. Rex profits are down, with a 60 per cent slump in half-yearly profits. Despite this, Rex has not asked for a government debt guarantee or a blank cheque. They have not asked for a handout. In 2012-13, Rex paid $2.4 million in carbon tax—$2.4 million! In the first half of this year, 2013-14, Rex has already paid $1.3 million in carbon tax liabilities. I spoke to the deputy chairman of Rex, John Sharp, in parliament just the other day. He is astounded by the impost that is still being placed on Rex, a fine regional company—albeit foreign owned—doing a great job for regional Australians. John Sharp cannot believe the impost being place on Rex and the fact that Labor will not get out of the way, or perhaps even get in the way, to help us to remove the carbon tax. Rex was established in 2002 following the collapse of Ansett in September 2001 and is a merger of the regional passenger arms of Ansett, Hazelton and Kendell. Rex does a fine job but is paying a lot of the profits in the carbon tax. I urge Labor to get on board with us and to remove this job-killing tax.