TAXPAYERS TO PAY $135 MILLION MORE FOR WORSE SAFETY UNDER AVIATION FIREFIGHTING PRIVATISATION PLAN - MEDIA RELEASE

TAXPAYERS TO PAY $135 MILLION MORE FOR WORSE SAFETY UNDER AVIATION FIREFIGHTING PRIVATISATION PLAN – MEDIA RELEASE

An independent report finds the privatisation plan will cost taxpayers an extra $135 million – for a worse safety outcome.
The plan hands aviation firefighting assets, stations and vehicles to a sovereign wealth fund, then leases them back over time.
The Commonwealth borrows cheaper than any private investor – direct public funding is $135M cheaper and more transparent.
Profit pressure means cutting resources, delaying maintenance and undermining readiness, and in aviation firefighting, response time is everything.
The Minister has the power to stop this. We’re calling on the Government to abandon the plan, release the modelling, and commit to public funding.