There have been a few people write in and ask us why the Albanese government is offering to be the contingency plan for Rex airlines.

Here is the PM explaining it himself:

The point of Rex is it has a unique position. It’s not running major routes. In Qantas’ case, it’s an international airline and it provides a different service. We know internationally, Air New Zealand next door is owned more than 50 per cent by the government. And aviation, the reason why governments have intervened and airlines around the world, whether you look at Singapore, BA got bailed out, Alitalia, Lufthansa as well as, of course, the Middle Eastern airlines, all connected with their governments, whether it be Emirates, Etihad or Qatar, Gulf Air, these are all connected. There’s a reason for that. Because aviation plays a critical role in communities. And that’s why we’re not going to allow in a vast continent like Australia. We’re not going to allow communities to just be falling behind. I mean, this is doing the right thing by regional communities. As I said, our preferred option is for the private sector. There’s been one round, if you like, that what’s wasn’t successful. We are indicating there’ll be another round here, but we’re also providing certainty for those communities.