Tardy for flight inquiry

Govt misses submission deadline for Senate probe

IT’S one of the biggest cost-ofliving gripes for Territorians.

But the Northern Territory Government missed the deadline for submissions to a Senate inquiry into the regulation and funding of remote and regional air travel by three days.

Submissions to the inquiry closed on Monday.

An NT Government spokeswoman confirmed the Territory made its submission on Thursday afternoon.

Transport Minister Nicole Manison said the Government was granted an extension for its submission.

“As Minister, I was advised of this extension yesterday, and instructed the Department to circulate and lodge the submission immediately,” she said.

The Territory’s 13 page submission contains six recommendations including to extend the remote air services subsidy, and introduce tax incentives to encourage people to move to the NT.

Boosting the Territory’s population through tax breaks, incentives for refugees and migrants and shifting federal public servants north would increase demand for air services and help drive prices down, the submission said.

Ms Manison said the Northern Territory Govern- ment was doing “everything it can” to lower the cost of flights for its constituents.

“The cost of flights underpins not only our vital tourism industry, but also the connectivity of our region, economic development opportunities for our remote communities, and the very real cost of living issues all Territorians face,” she said.

“We need to grow our population and this means a focus on creating and supporting jobs and driving down the cost of living to keep more Territorians in work, and more Territorians in the Territory.”

Independent Member for Araluen Robyn Lambley — who managed to meet the submission deadline — said the astronomical cost of flights was driving people out of the Territory.

“People are limited in their travel. Most non-Aboriginal people who live in a place like Alice Springs or Tennant Creek or Katherine come from somewhere else,” she said.

“Ideally, they want to connect with their family at least once or twice a year and the price of airfares prohibits that for a lot of people who aren’t on high incomes.

“When people are offered a job or are looking at applying for a job, they look at the cost of housing and they look at the cost of airfares.”