Letter to the Editor - Review of Regional Airfare Pricing

Dear Editor,

Regional communities like ours know first-hand the importance of regional airlines to connect travellers to Australia’s capital cities. Many residents rely on regional airlines to access services unavailable locally, including lifesaving health treatments. The importance of regional air travel is well understood; the challenge is and has always been the affordability of those airfares.

The Australian Government’s Productivity Commission has announced that in 2026 it will conduct an inquiry into the determinants of those airfares. This inquiry will consider how to support a competitive, reliable and affordable aviation network for passenger flights outside Australia’s major cities.

I have written to the Commission asking it to consider holding public hearing in Mount Gambier as part of that process.

Information on the inquiry including terms of reference, timelines and how to make submissions can be found on the Commission’s website, www.pc.gov.au/inquiries-and-research/regional-airfares.

I encourage interested community members to make a submission to the Commission via their website.

The Limestone Coast needs access to more affordable airfares and this inquiry will consider what options and policy levers government can adopt to achieve that end. I encourage you to add your perspective to that investigation by making a submission.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Pasin MP

Federal Member for Barker