Mr MITCHELL - 1999-11-24
With increased road activity in Darwin at the moment due to the East Timor situation, some local businesses have complained about breakdowns within their own area of freight. Can the minister give details of any plans to improve this situation?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker,I am pleased to announce that from 30 November Ansett Air Cargo will be putting on the Darwin run a BAE-146 freighter 5 days a week, originating in Melbourne, stopping off at Alice Springs and returning the same day from Darwin.
This is yet another indication of a government that gets things done. It was merely 11 years ago that the Treasurer and I, at the invitation of Sir Peter Abeles, attended the headquarters of TNT in Sydney and spoke to him about this very service. It has now come to fruition, proving conclusively that, over time and with persistence, we do get things done.
The addition of this freighter service to the Darwin run, initially for a month’s trial and then hopefully returning permanently in February, will give added dimensions to our horticulture and other industries in Darwin. Currently, airfreight out of Darwin competes with baggage on passenger airlines and also is hampered somewhat in that it’s loaded under the belly of the aircraft and is unable to be containerised or palletised. Just a couple of weeks ago, mud crabs destined for the Sydney market from Darwin were off-loaded and left on the tarmac in Cairns because they were competing for space with baggage. Thus they perished and had to be thrown out
This service will not only provide exporters from Darwin to southern markets with a daily run into those markets, but also provide space in aircraft coming to Darwin for spare parts and just-in-time parts that are so critical not only to the average person in the street with their motor cars but also to mining industry and other businesses.
I hope industry and business in Darwin get behind this service. In the long term, it’s important that we have and maintain this dedicated freighter service. Hopefully, over time it will lead to an expansion of dedicated freighter services to our markets to the north, which are imperative for our long-term expansion in the horticultural and service industries.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker,I am pleased to announce that from 30 November Ansett Air Cargo will be putting on the Darwin run a BAE-146 freighter 5 days a week, originating in Melbourne, stopping off at Alice Springs and returning the same day from Darwin.
This is yet another indication of a government that gets things done. It was merely 11 years ago that the Treasurer and I, at the invitation of Sir Peter Abeles, attended the headquarters of TNT in Sydney and spoke to him about this very service. It has now come to fruition, proving conclusively that, over time and with persistence, we do get things done.
The addition of this freighter service to the Darwin run, initially for a month’s trial and then hopefully returning permanently in February, will give added dimensions to our horticulture and other industries in Darwin. Currently, airfreight out of Darwin competes with baggage on passenger airlines and also is hampered somewhat in that it’s loaded under the belly of the aircraft and is unable to be containerised or palletised. Just a couple of weeks ago, mud crabs destined for the Sydney market from Darwin were off-loaded and left on the tarmac in Cairns because they were competing for space with baggage. Thus they perished and had to be thrown out
This service will not only provide exporters from Darwin to southern markets with a daily run into those markets, but also provide space in aircraft coming to Darwin for spare parts and just-in-time parts that are so critical not only to the average person in the street with their motor cars but also to mining industry and other businesses.
I hope industry and business in Darwin get behind this service. In the long term, it’s important that we have and maintain this dedicated freighter service. Hopefully, over time it will lead to an expansion of dedicated freighter services to our markets to the north, which are imperative for our long-term expansion in the horticultural and service industries.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016