Speaking from Brisbane, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton responded to the government’s aviation announcements by criticising the government’s relationship with former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, and the cost-of-living crisis.
“Don’t forget the friendship, the very close friendship, between Alan Joyce and [Prime Minister] Anthony Albanese, which reduced competition,” said Dutton, regarding Transport Minister Catherine King’s blocking of talks between her department and Qatar Airways over expanded flight routes into Australia.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called for more competition in the airline industry. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“Less competition means higher prices, and unfortunately, Australians are paying more and more for airfares, and we should have more competition.”
“Consumers should be paying less for airfares, where there are more consumers wanting to purchase those airfares, than prices going up and up under the Albanese government.”
Dutton was in the Brisbane electorate of Ryan to support the campaign of Maggie Forrest, the LNP candidate seeking to unseat first-term incumbent Elizabeth Watson-Brown.
Watson-Brown won the seat for the Greens with an 8.7 per cent swing against the LNP at the 2022 federal election.
Dutton took the opportunity to attack the Greens’ policy platform, characterising it as disconnected with the concerns of voters in Brisbane.
“The Greens believe in abolishing private health insurance, which is going to kill our public system and drive up the cost of private health insurance through the roof [for] families,” said Dutton. “They want to legalise hard drugs, which will just drive the crime rates through the roof.”
The Greens’ policy platform seeks to abolish the private health rebate, and to legalise cannabis, but decriminalise other drugs.