Have Your Say

TRANSCRIPT: WIN NEWS RIVERINA WITH NATE PRIEBBENOW

27 February 2026

Subjects: QANTAS regional services, State and Federal regional funding

E&OE 

 

Nate PRIEBBENOW

Tomorrow sees the final flights between Melbourne and Wagga for QANTAS. What’s your read on this situation?

 

Michael McCORMACK

Well, it’s the same situation because for some time past, Qantas has had those flight services not only for Wagga Wagga but also for Albury. But it’s not just about these two major cities. It’s about all the other towns in the Riverina-Murray area. For people who go to Melbourne for help, for business, for leisure, for whatever reason, now there’s only limited REX flights. So Qantas has really turned its back on the bush in this regard. I have taken this to the highest level. I have absolutely told Qantas that I’m disappointed and that they should review that decision. But of course, they are a corporation, they make decisions based on shareholders. That said, their shares are going very, very well and it shouldn’t come off the back of turning their back on regional people. And I’m very disappointed in this regard. I think there’s still profits to be made, albeit maybe limited and maybe not as much as they make on other runs, but certainly on servicing the Wagga Wagga to Melbourne route. Now this has really limited our community, and country people at large. It’s simply disappointing and not good enough from somebody who purports to be the national carrier. I think they do owe it to regional people to continue these sorts of services. Yes, they might not make the big profits on these runs, but they do owe country people something. It’s a company that was founded in the country, in a remote location, in Queensland. That’s what it stands for – Queensland and Northern Territory Air Services. Now they’re spurning the country people that gave the airline its founding. That’s disappointing, because I think they are going away from their core values.

 

Nate PRIEBBENOW

And this is part of a broader trend, as you said, not just for Wagga and Albury. Where else have you seen this trend?

 

Michael McCORMACK

Well, it’s a broader trend in corporate Australia. Regional Australia is what makes this country it’s money. Let’s make no bones about it. The mining, the resource wealth, the agricultural wealth, all the food and fibre, they all come from regional areas. We’ve got decisions being made in metropolitan corporate boardrooms that go against what this country stands for and what country people do for this nation. We’re being left as second class citizens. That’s simply not good enough. Now, I’ll continue to advocate and continue to fight for it on behalf of country people. But it’s very difficult when we’ve got people making decisions, people who have probably never been to the bush, people who don’t understand country values, country principles and country traditions, making these decisions for investors and for shareholders. It’s just so disappointing.

 

Nate PRIEBBENOW

Should regional businesses be concerned moving forward if this trend continues?

 

Michael McCORMACK

Well, regional businesses keep regional Australia going. They really do. And small business itself is in freefall. We’ve got a thousand small businesses closing their doors every day. What does the Small Business Minister of Australia say? She says they’re dodgy. Anne Aly, the Small Business Minister for the Federal Government, said in Parliament that businesses are shutting because they’re dodgy. They’re not dodgy. They just can’t keep the backbreaking work going because of what this country and what this Government is doing to them. The instant asset write-off, that’s not anywhere near the level it should be. The compliance and regulation and green and red tape that the Labor Government’s, Federal and State, are imposing on small business that makes it so hard to operate. I’ve run a small business. I’ve employed people. I’ve done that. Not too many of the Labor members have ever run a small business. They’ve run them into the ground. They’ve run picket lines out the front of them. But they haven’t actually run a small business.

 

Nate PRIEBBENOW

Absolutely. Finally, we’ve seen Tara Moriarty meet with mayors from around the Riverina. What do you think should come of that discussion?

 

Michael McCORMACK

Well, listen and act. We are in the grips of one of the worst droughts. People are telling me, farmers are telling me, it’s worse than the millennium drought. Certainly, in the Upper Murray area, they’ve been hand feeding their stock, their cattle, for many, many months. And now we’ve finally got the State Agriculture Minister listening, visiting and observing. I appreciate she’s come here once before, but nothing happened. But where is the Federal Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins? Where is she on this? Nowhere to be seen. Nowhere to be found. And there is no funding available. Our farmers are desperate. What happens when they get desperate? They send their stock to processing. Then it takes years to build back the breeding herd, and it takes years to restock. But Federal and State Labor Government’s simply don’t care. They don’t understand. And it’s on them to make sure that they help our farmers.

 

Nate PRIEBBENOW

Absolutely. Thanks very much.

 

Michael McCORMACK

No worries at all.

ENDS

SEARCH WEBSITE