Parliamentary inquiry into WA regional airfares

20 June 2017 © David Eyre

A Parliamentary inquiry into regional airfares in Western Australia has been launched by the WA Economics and Industry Standing Committee.

The newly-elected WA Labor Government made an election commitment to hold an inquiry into the high cost of regional airfares, given that it affects tourism, regional businesses and people living in regional areas.

It is often much cheaper to fly to Asia than it is to fly to the north of Western Australia.

The Committee will examine:

• factors contributing to the current high cost of regional airfares;
• impacts that high-cost regional airfares have on regional centres- from a business, tourism and social perspective;
• impact of State Government regulatory processes on the cost and efficiency of regional air services;
• actions that the State and local government authorities can take to limit increases to airfares without undermining the commercial viability of RPT services;
• actions that airlines can take to limit increases to airfares without undermining the commercial viability of RPT services; and
• recent actions taken by other Australian governments to limit regional RPT airfare increases.

A report is due to be tabled in State Parliament by 28 November 2017.