Regional connectivity and workforce mobility dominated a fiery Senate Rural and Regional Affairs hearing on 28 November as QantasLink chief executive Rachel Yangoyan defended the airline’s decision to shut three crew bases servicing Hobart, Canberra and Mildura. Yangoyan told senators the move was driven by a fleet transition, not cost-cutting, and that no flights would be lost.
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie was unconvinced, accusing the carrier of failing to provide data proving operational benefits and pointing to a recent High Court ruling that forced Qantas to pay $210 million for unlawful staff dismissals. Transport Workers Union organiser Sam Lynch highlighted the personal toll: dozens of pilots and cabin crew given weeks to uproot families or face redundancy.
![QantasLink grilled in Senate over closure of Hobart, Canberra and Mildura crew bases]()
For business travellers, the immediate schedule remains unchanged, but the long-term risk is talent leakage from regional bases and further centralisation of flights through eastern-seaboard hubs. Companies that rely on FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) rosters to Tasmania and the Riverina are already modelling contingency routings via Melbourne or Sydney in case punctuality slips during the transition.
The Senate committee will hand down its findings in June 2026, but the hearing underscores growing political scrutiny of Australia’s dominant carrier and its service obligations to smaller cities. Mobility managers with regional assignees should monitor load-factor data and hold refundable tickets on competing airlines where available.
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie was unconvinced, accusing the carrier of failing to provide data proving operational benefits and pointing to a recent High Court ruling that forced Qantas to pay $210 million for unlawful staff dismissals. Transport Workers Union organiser Sam Lynch highlighted the personal toll: dozens of pilots and cabin crew given weeks to uproot families or face redundancy.
For business travellers, the immediate schedule remains unchanged, but the long-term risk is talent leakage from regional bases and further centralisation of flights through eastern-seaboard hubs. Companies that rely on FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) rosters to Tasmania and the Riverina are already modelling contingency routings via Melbourne or Sydney in case punctuality slips during the transition.
The Senate committee will hand down its findings in June 2026, but the hearing underscores growing political scrutiny of Australia’s dominant carrier and its service obligations to smaller cities. Mobility managers with regional assignees should monitor load-factor data and hold refundable tickets on competing airlines where available.
