Tuesday, 5 March 2024

 Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (19:00): (551) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Regional Development in the other place, and the action I seek is for the minister to provide support for necessary upgrades at Warrnambool Airport to ensure that it can be used by commercial aviation operators. It has been raised with me that the passenger airline Bonza is interested in servicing Warrnambool Airport, but I have been told that these flights cannot occur due to the current level of infrastructure at the airport, which needs to be upgraded to accommodate Bonza’s 737 aircraft.

Warrnambool is the gateway to the South-West Coast, and the South-West Coast is home to many of our Victorian tourism icons. To name just a few highlights from our region, they include Tower Hill, Middle Island, Budj Bim, Port Fairy, Cheese World, the Glenelg River, Tyrendarra’s Indigenous Protected Area and Mount Noorat. Importantly Warrnambool Airport is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road, which starts right here in South-West Coast. Rather than tour buses travelling down from Melbourne and turning back at Port Campbell, Bonza’s commercial passenger flights into Warrnambool would allow time-pressed travellers to be able to view the attractions of the road in its entirety. Plus, as any local would say, the true gems of the trip are the Bay of Islands, the Bay of Martyrs and Bridgewater beach right here in South-West Coast.

Yet just like with our new trains, which were promised in 2017 but are still yet to arrive, regional Victoria has been forgotten when it comes to government infrastructure funding. Regional Victorians make up more than 25 per cent of our state, yet we receive far less than that in funding – a measly 13 ‍per cent. From social housing to health to education, we are not getting our fair share, and Warrnambool Airport is another example. Here is a chance to give our region a shot in the arm and really get the tourism sector kicking. And it is time too, considering the sacrifices our region is making for the government’s net zero goals.

Brunswick or Burwood are not getting any large-scale renewable projects, but they are getting plenty of government funding for infrastructure. Moyne shire, which is within my South-West Coast electorate, will see over 12 per cent of the entire local government area covered with wind farms. This includes right by the Warrnambool Airport, resulting in the minimum safe operating height of the airport needing to be adjusted and reducing the commercial viability of the airport, with it becoming harder for planes to land and take off thanks to Labor’s skyscraper-sized wind turbines. I know the government is determined to build wind turbines no matter what the environmental cost. Take their persistence over the Hastings area where federal Labor has had to lay down the law and say, ‘Stop your plans. You’ll destroy the environment,’ to the state Labor government. Ultimately, regional Victoria is being burdened with these towers, but they should not be allowed to restrict our capacity to grow and develop as a region. Warrnambool Airport should not have its viability hindered. The state Labor government should get serious about regional development, starting with the upgrades at the Warrnambool Airport.