ACTION 8 – FAIRER AIRFARES
This forms part of the Central Highlands Workforce Development and Accommodation Strategy.
CHDC to develop position paper to work directly with the airlines to find solutions on reducing the cost of airfares and expanding regional subsidy schemes for residents.
Monitoring of new fleet and its impact on costs and availability of flights to also be undertaken and improvements to be appropriately communicated to community.
◼ TIMEFRAME: Position Paper to be finalised by 30 June 2024 and roundtable held through WAC in July 2024.
2026 STATUS UPDATE: The 2024 position paper has now been updated and is titled Fairer Airfares Revisited March 2026. CHDC is in now in an Active Advocacy and Submission Phase.
PROGRESS REPORT
February 28, 2024: CHDC and Qantas regional management meet, discussing WDAS and regional challenges. Central Highlands considered for Qantas resident fare discounts.
April 22, 2024: Ongoing discussions with Qantas regarding the awareness and impact of the new E190 fleet and operational changes available from May 2024.
April 30, 2024: Meeting held with Qantas to discuss introduction with new E190 including business class, flight scheduling, and consideration of Central Highlands being included as part of the Resident Fare Scheme. Discussions also included education and marketing support for regional opportunities and Sustainable Aviation Fuel projects.
May 3, 2024: Meeting with Mr. Colin Boyce MP to discuss WDAS strategy and advocate for regional airfare subsidy scheme coverage by the Federal government.
June 28, 2024: Position paper finalised and to be presented at the next WAC on Thursday 18 July 2024.
July 18, 2024: Position paper presented at the third WAC (Workforce Accommodation Collective) and published on the CHDC website.
November 7, 2024: Qantas will have a follow-up meeting with CHRC and CHDC with a Qantas representative responsible for negotiating airport charges in attendance. This meeting is the result of ongoing advocacy and engagement by CHDC since March 2024, with a focus on the lack of regional discounts for residents of the Central Highlands and the cost of airfares in line with additional data provided in the WDAS Fairer Airfares paper.
November 7, 2024: Qantas, CHDC and CHRC met to discuss Qantas, including the Central Highlands region, in their discounted fares for regional residents scheme. In particular, for our Emerald to Brisbane route. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for late December 2024.
October 28, 2025: The Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport refers an inquiry into the state of Australia’s aviation sector and its ability to deliver reliable and affordable services to regional communities.
November 4, 2025: CHDC provides the Central Highlands Regional Council (CHRC) with the 2024 Fairer Airfares position paper and updated insights to support the regional response to the Senate Inquiry.
November 11, 2025: CHRC formally submits its response to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee.
February 23, 2026: CHDC and CHRC hold a formal discussion with Qantas regional management regarding On-Time Performance (OTP) for the Emerald-Brisbane route.
Current 2026 YTD data confirms a 93.6% On-Time Performance (within 15 minutes) and a low cancellation rate of 2.1% for the Emerald-Brisbane service.|
February 25, 2026: CHDC initiates a multi-level advocacy phase following a data refresh from Infinitum Partners and the development of the Fairer Airfares Revisited 2026 position paper.
CHDC prepares and submits submissions for the Australian Senate Inquiry into regional aviation, the TMR State Review of regional air services, and the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into regional airfares.
