Australia’s technology industry including retailers, employees of tech companies, journalists covering the sector and tech enthusiasts in general travel extensively within the country and internationally too, which makes the federal government’s Aviation White Paper released this week of particular significance.
The 2024 Aviation White Paper, released by Transport Minister Catherine King, included 2,096 submissions and 22 roundtables. The purpose of it, says the government, is to boost consumer rights, increase competition, support regional and general aviation, and help the sector decarbonise.
One of the major outcomes is the formation of an independent Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme and a new Charter of Customer Rights.
The new Aviation Industry Ombudsperson will handle complaints, publish reports on airline and airport conduct, recommend further policy change to the government and refer instances of misconduct to the ACCC.
The charter establishes a mechanism for the “fair and appropriate” treatment of customers, including actions the airline must take when flights are delayed or cancelled.
Airlines will now face a new requirement to “show cause” when cancelling or delaying flights – therefore they will have to report reasons for delays and cancellations.
It would, for example, make it harder for airlines to get away with cancelling a person’s travel because it overbooked that flight. The ombudsperson is authorised to request additional information regarding specific flights too.
Importantly, the new arrangement will also look into circumstances where airlines must provide a refund in cash or the original form of payment, rather than a travel voucher.
“I will put an interim ombudsperson in my department in the immediate term to start drafting the charter of rights. That will happen in the next day or so. They will be able to receive complaints as of next year and we will introduce legislation next year,” said King.
As Qantas and Virgin remain the two dominant players within the country’s aviation sector, the government will also implement measures to increase competition.
Significantly, the government said that it was reviewing its own travel purchasing policies to minimise incentives for preferencing individual airlines when booking travel.
It said that changes are also underway to reform Sydney Airport slot management arrangements. It plans to open the Western Sydney International Airport in 2026 which will be a boon for international travel.
“Australia will continue to allow foreign airlines to establish local companies that service domestic routes. The government will consider cabotage requests on a case-by-case basis, either where there is a demand that no Australian operator is able to satisfy or where there is a proposed route not currently served by an Australian operator,” said King.
The government termed the country’s major airports as “natural monopolies” and said that oversight is needed to prevent them from misusing their market position. The ACCC will therefore monitor the conduct of pricing negotiations between airlines and major airports.
Following Rex entering into voluntary administration in July, the government noted that it is acting to protect regional aviation. Funding programmes that support remote airstrip upgrades and regional airports have been expanded. The Productivity Commission will also review regional airfares.
In addition, a newly independent Aircraft Noise Ombuds role will have the power to conduct independent investigations into the handling of aircraft noise complaints, publish reports, and make recommendations directly to the government about the handling of noise complaints. The aircraft noise ombudsman will operate independent of Airservices Australia and Defence.
As for the workforce in the sector, the government said that it will work to ensure large airlines train their own pilots. It added that it will simplify the visa process for pilots and other highly skilled workers too.
As for decarbonisation efforts, the government noted that it was investing in the domestic production of sustainable aviation fuel and other low carbon liquid fuels (LCLF).
