❓ Mrs O'Malley questions the Minister for Tourism about his recent trip to Japan to secure direct flights to Perth. The Minister outlines meetings with airline executives and the potential economic benefits, while criticising the previous government's lack of effort.
AnsweredQoN 599Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TOURISM —
PERTH–JAPAN DIRECT FLIGHTS
599. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the McGowan government's commitment to
growing the state's tourism industry and creating jobs.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Are you having your own little conversation there, member for
Scarborough? Start again, member.
Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY :
I refer to the McGowan government's commitment to growing the state's
tourism industry and creating jobs, and its determination to secure more direct
flights to Perth.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on his recent visit to Japan and his meetings with
Japanese airline executives?
(2) Can the minister also outline what direct flights
between Perth and Japan would mean for the WA economy?
PERTH–JAPAN DIRECT FLIGHTS
599. Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the McGowan government's commitment to
growing the state's tourism industry and creating jobs.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Are you having your own little conversation there, member for
Scarborough? Start again, member.
Mrs L.M. O'MALLEY :
I refer to the McGowan government's commitment to growing the state's
tourism industry and creating jobs, and its determination to secure more direct
flights to Perth.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on his recent visit to Japan and his meetings with
Japanese airline executives?
(2) Can the minister also outline what direct flights
between Perth and Japan would mean for the WA economy?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I thank the member for her question. The recent trip undertaken to Japan I did
in the company of the CEO of Perth Airport and an aviation development
executive from Tourism WA. When we were in Japan, we were joined by Tourism
Australia representatives and executives from the state office in Tokyo. We met
with representatives of both Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. The first
evening was a working dinner with Japan Airlines executives as a first meeting
to make contact and build a relationship. The next morning we met formally with
executives who are responsible for, and capable of, making decisions on new
route development. They are the people who are authorised within Japan Airlines
to decide upon new routes and have the authority to make those decisions. We
met with a range of executives from Japan Airlines. We then subsequently met
with the same sort of people—the same level of executives—from
All Nippon Airways. We also met with in-country executives from Qantas. I was
very fortunate to be able to meet with the Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign
Affairs, who was enthusiastically supportive of direct routes. That evening we
met with our great representative for Australia in Japan, the Australian
ambassador, His Excellency Hon Richard Court, AC. We had a working dinner that
evening with him. He is a very enthusiastic supporter of direct flights and we
are well served as a state by his presence.
All those meetings resulted in a few
positive indications from both airlines that they see this route as being
valuable—because it is. We have not had a direct flight between Tokyo
and Perth since 2011. Direct flights are valuable. It is accepted wisdom that
if we have a direct flight seven days a week, it equates to 150 000 travellers
in a year. That is a significant outcome. Despite the fact that we have not had
direct flights since 2011, the market has grown. In the absence of a direct
flight, the market has grown by some 53 per cent in that time, which indicates
that there is a good demand from business travellers, leisure travellers,
students and other types of travellers between Tokyo and Perth. There is
justification for this route. In the order of 120 000 people a year now travel
between Perth and Tokyo. Both airlines indicated an interest in the route. In
particular, JAL acknowledged that this is a route that, were it so unserviced
anywhere else, it would be extraordinary. It indicated that this is the sort of
route that would be taken up as an
opportunity. In fact, when Qantas began its seven-day-a-week service to
Brisbane, the traveller numbers between Brisbane and Tokyo were only 110 000
annually. We exceed that already. That aside, it is about getting those airlines
across the line to make a decision. Airlines are always risk averse. They need
a relationship. Japanese airlines, above all else, need a relationship to make
a commitment of this nature.
The member for Bicton might be
interested to know that we have a bit of ground to make up. Sadly, when I was
over there, it became evident that not much effort had been put into re-establishing
a direct flight from Japan to Perth. In fact, the last time a Minister for
Tourism from Western Australia visited Tokyo was 2012, which demonstrates an
utter neglect of the need to build a relationship, to extend respect and
demonstrate a desire on behalf of the government to achieve a direct flight. We
are going to fix that!
I thank the member for her question. The recent trip undertaken to Japan I did
in the company of the CEO of Perth Airport and an aviation development
executive from Tourism WA. When we were in Japan, we were joined by Tourism
Australia representatives and executives from the state office in Tokyo. We met
with representatives of both Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. The first
evening was a working dinner with Japan Airlines executives as a first meeting
to make contact and build a relationship. The next morning we met formally with
executives who are responsible for, and capable of, making decisions on new
route development. They are the people who are authorised within Japan Airlines
to decide upon new routes and have the authority to make those decisions. We
met with a range of executives from Japan Airlines. We then subsequently met
with the same sort of people—the same level of executives—from
All Nippon Airways. We also met with in-country executives from Qantas. I was
very fortunate to be able to meet with the Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign
Affairs, who was enthusiastically supportive of direct routes. That evening we
met with our great representative for Australia in Japan, the Australian
ambassador, His Excellency Hon Richard Court, AC. We had a working dinner that
evening with him. He is a very enthusiastic supporter of direct flights and we
are well served as a state by his presence.
All those meetings resulted in a few
positive indications from both airlines that they see this route as being
valuable—because it is. We have not had a direct flight between Tokyo
and Perth since 2011. Direct flights are valuable. It is accepted wisdom that
if we have a direct flight seven days a week, it equates to 150 000 travellers
in a year. That is a significant outcome. Despite the fact that we have not had
direct flights since 2011, the market has grown. In the absence of a direct
flight, the market has grown by some 53 per cent in that time, which indicates
that there is a good demand from business travellers, leisure travellers,
students and other types of travellers between Tokyo and Perth. There is
justification for this route. In the order of 120 000 people a year now travel
between Perth and Tokyo. Both airlines indicated an interest in the route. In
particular, JAL acknowledged that this is a route that, were it so unserviced
anywhere else, it would be extraordinary. It indicated that this is the sort of
route that would be taken up as an
opportunity. In fact, when Qantas began its seven-day-a-week service to
Brisbane, the traveller numbers between Brisbane and Tokyo were only 110 000
annually. We exceed that already. That aside, it is about getting those airlines
across the line to make a decision. Airlines are always risk averse. They need
a relationship. Japanese airlines, above all else, need a relationship to make
a commitment of this nature.
The member for Bicton might be
interested to know that we have a bit of ground to make up. Sadly, when I was
over there, it became evident that not much effort had been put into re-establishing
a direct flight from Japan to Perth. In fact, the last time a Minister for
Tourism from Western Australia visited Tokyo was 2012, which demonstrates an
utter neglect of the need to build a relationship, to extend respect and
demonstrate a desire on behalf of the government to achieve a direct flight. We
are going to fix that!
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