Will the NSW Government step in to save Rex Airlines and preserve essential regional services?

Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion calling on the NSW Government to secure and protect regional connectivity by acquiring Rex Airlines as a state asset, following its recent administration, or urging the Federal Government to do so.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1) That this House notes that:

transport is an essential service,
essential services are best delivered by government, and
it is particularly incumbent on government to intervene in cases where market forces have deemed the delivery of an essential service unprofitable, to ensure that essential services are available to all.

(2) That this House notes that:

Rex Airlines, short for Regional Express, operated for 22 years in Australia before going into administration on July 30,
Rex Airlines provided a critical service to communities scattered across regional Australia, having flown to more than 50 destinations and often to towns not serviced by the major airlines,
Rex Airlines, in announcing it would go into administration, declared its plans to lay off 610 staff, more than a quarter of its workforce, and
the loss of a dedicated regional airline would leave regional communities isolated and, in many cases, unable to access crucial services like medical specialists and hospitals.

(3) That this House calls on the NSW government to:

recognise that a dedicated regional airline is too important to be allowed to fail,
recognise that the ongoing stability and operation of Rex is about more than just keeping planes in the sky, it’s about preserving jobs, supporting tourism, and maintaining the vital connections that keep our regional areas safe, healthy and thriving, and
either purchase Rex Airlines as a state asset, or call on the Federal government to do so, to ensure the continued connectivity and economic stability of regional Australia.

6 August 2024

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has the right to share in the wellbeing of our country.

But at the moment the essentials so many of us need – a place to call home, food on the table, and everyday essentials like electricity, internet, medicine and water – are simply out of reach.

Instead of supporting us, our government is choosing to prop up huge corporations with massive subsidies, and to give away our collective wealth through record tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to live paycheck to paycheck or trapped in the dehumanising bureaucracy of our existing welfare system.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, and following quickly on the heels of the bushfire crisis, more of us than ever before are experiencing what it’s like to lose our jobs, be without a home, or worry about where the food for our next meal will come from.

It’s time for us to choose to prioritise the wellbeing of everyone.

And that’s exactly what the Universal Wellbeing Payment will do.

It’s a regular payment made to each of us to ensure our minimum standard of wellbeing. No means testing, no bureaucracy, no strings attached.

It’s the amount you’re owed simply for being a participant in our society.

It means you are free to live your life and contribute to society as you see fit, whether you’re a carer, an artist, a student, a parent, an entrepreneur – you can get on with what you need to do, knowing that you will always be supported regardless of your income.

It means that we’re choosing to structure our economy for the benefit of all of us, not using our collective wealth to prop up the interests of big business and the wealthy few.

It means you will always have what you need to live a good life, no matter what.

The Universal Wellbeing Payment is for everyone. Help us make it happen.

For more information, head to universalwellbeingpayment.com.au

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Will the NSW Government step in to save Rex Airlines and preserve essential regional services?

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

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