The prospect of appearing in front of a regional air route inquiry does not seem to be bothering Qantas which this week announced financial year first-half profit up 18 per cent to $607 million.
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Underlying pre-tax profit soared 14.6 per cent to a record $976 million, although net profit fell short due to $119 million of costs including redundancies and the introduction of the Dreamliner aircraft.
Qantas will pay an unfranked interim dividend of seven cents and CEO Alan Joyce said the transformation of Qantas during his tenure - which has included hefty redundancies, route changes and aircraft retirements - has left the airline well placed.
"After several years of consistent performance, we now have a lot of momentum behind us," Mr Joyce said.
"We're vigilant about maintaining that momentum and we're confident about the future it allows us to build."
Mr Joyce made no comment about accusations of price gouging from regional customers, a white-hot topic of anger in North West Queensland and one of the drivers behind the Federal Senate inquiry into “the operation, regulation and funding of air route service delivery to rural, regional and remote communities”.
READ ALSO: Cloncurry waits on Inquiry date
In her submission to the inquiry as a Mount Isa resident and on behalf of Mount Isa Theatrical Society Janelle Robartson said the extreme airline costs were a huge barrier to family connectedness and people could not afford to travel, especially with children.
“Driving is one of the only solutions to these circumstances, leaving people with two days of driving on either side of a holiday,” she said.
Ms Robartson said the costs were having an economic impact to Mount Isa.
“Who wants to pay $500 one way to come to the middle of Australia when you can pay $199 to go to New Zealand?” she said.
“We have zero tourist fly traffic. You just have to look at the Triple J “One Night Only Concert” held in 2017. The organizers expected 8000 people to attend, but it was clearly explained by potential attendants that the exuberant costs of flying kept them away.”
She said Mount Isa suffered greatly with the inability to offer the same opportunities in arts, sports or recreations as most areas in Australia relish.
“It is completely impracticable for any local non-profit to fly a team anywhere for anything,” she said. “Mount Isa teams are relegated to long bus travel if they are lucky.”
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
