Committee: Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee
Date referred: 28 October 2025
Submissions close: 27 February 2026
Reporting date: 4 June 2026

Terms of Reference

That the following matter be referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee for inquiry and report by 25 February 2026:

The state of Australia’s aviation sector and its ability to deliver reliable and affordable services to rural, regional and remote communities, with particular reference to:

1. costs, fees, levies, taxes and charges that are core components to the pricing of airfares and associated services;
   aa. the decision made by Qantas (Qantas Airways Limited) on 1 October 2025 to close its regional staff bases in Canberra, Hobart and Mildura;
2. disparities of these costs across rural, regional and remote airports and the basis for the disparities;
3. mechanisms for recovering federally mandated security and regulatory costs and options for achieving greater financial equity across the aviation sector, including the merits of a uniform national levy to cover security arrangements;
4. competitiveness of the aviation sector to service regional, rural and remote communities and the implications of reducing or withdrawing those services;
5. adequacy of government fees and levies to equitably address costs for airline services incurred due to federal legislation and regulations;
6. effectiveness of government processes and mechanisms to identify and quantify capital and ongoing costs due to federal legislation and regulations;
7. policy and practical measures in place, or that could be established, to assist the aviation sector to provide services to rural, regional and remote communities;
8. review of government responses to recommendations from previous relevant inquiries and the status of associated actions; and
9. any other related matters.

Extensions of time to report

• On 24 November 2025, the committee was granted an extension of time to report until 4 June 2026.