BREATHTAKING is the best way to describe the outrageous decision by Deputy PM and National Party Leader Michael McCormack to include Avalon Airport as the only Victorian destination for the federal government’s half-price $1.2 billion flights scheme – Tourism Aviation Network Support (TANS) Program – announced last week.
According to Mr McCormack, the federal government’s intended targets for the scheme include regional airline workers and regional tourist destinations who very much depend on their visitor economies.
If that is the case, how can you possibly ignore major regional cities with significant airports and unique tourist experiences, like Mildura, Albury/Wodonga and Bendigo?
These towns are doing all they can to kick start their local economies, to get planes back in the air, to get tourists on the ground – and the decision to ignore them by Mr McCormack is a huge slap in the face to them.
Northern Victorians, particularly those that live along the Murray in border and neighbouring towns, have endured plenty over the last 12 months, and they deserve better from a federal government and a Deputy PM who purports to represent regional communities.
Three Tassie airports about an hour apart from each other by car have been chosen – but only one airport in Victoria halfway between Melbourne and Geelong.
It is just not good enough.
I applaud the Victorian Tourism Minister, Martin Pakula, who has written to the federal government asking them to reconsider their destination list and add Mildura, Albury/Wodonga and Bendigo to it.
I add my voice to that call and urge all of my northern Victorian parliamentary colleagues, especially leader of the Victorian National Party Peter Walsh, to do the same.
Mark Gepp MLC
Member for Northern Victoria region
