Originally Posted by
neville_nobody
The market will sort it out. I don’t understand why the regions are always Koala Bears when it comes to aviation. City folk pay the ‘market’ price for everything including airfares. Yet the regions who have affordable housing, subsidised infrastructure with no toll roads, subsidised medicine also want government funded airfares as well?
It also creates moral hazard and a host of other issues along with pork barreling come election time. This whole REX saga is a classic example of why the government needs to stay out of business. They should go broke and let it start again with whomever wants to fly to these towns.
Well what is your solution for transport to and from the regions? There will be many with no air service if there are no subsidies, and I am assuming you wouldn't want government running their own airline (NBN style)?
You can't just say "tough ****, move to the city then if you can't afford it". You do realise the country's economy and prosperity doesn't just rely on the east coast?
We have a huge farming industry in regional/remote areas along with many others and the people who make it happen shouldn't just be stranded without reasonable means of transport to the outside world.
People in the regions also pay the same for their access to mobile networks as those in the cities but it costs Telstra (or Optus) a huge amount more to provide that service so even instances where there are no subsidies, city folk are subsidising those in regional/remote areas. Yes I also acknowledge that these days many remote Telstra & Optus sites have also been subsidised by the government, but once again it is for the greater good of the nation.