Member for Riverina and Nationals candidate Michael McCormack has made an election pledge to upgrade the Wagga Wagga Airport. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has pledged $24 million to upgrade the Wagga Wagga Airport as a federal funding commitment contingent on the Coalition winning the upcoming election.
Mr McCormack made the announcement at the airport on Thursday (10 April), calling it a critical infrastructure project for the region.
“The Wagga airport is the hub and the gateway to the Riverina, and I am reaffirming the commitment I made at the last election to invest $24 million of federal money into the airport upgrade,” Mr McCormack said.
“It’s an election commitment, so I’m hoping I’m returned as the Member for Riverina. I’m desperately hoping that the Coalition is back in government.
“I’m happy to work with Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) to see what we can achieve here for a new terminal or upgraded terminal, but we need a new terminal.”
While Mr McCormack was proud to announce the federal funding, he said it had been hard to achieve because the Labor Government stripped away the money committed to regional funding after the last election.
“I’ve been able to go through the Shadow Expenditure Review Committee and get that $24 million back, and that is why I reaffirm it today,” he said.
“I call on the other candidates, where possible, to stump up this sort of money for this vital piece of infrastructure, not just for Wagga, but for the entire Riverina region.
“This is the gateway for health, business, and tourism. This is a thriving part of our community, and it needs a terminal that is fit for purpose.”
Mr McCormack said the airport building, constructed and opened in 1986, had served its purpose well, but the community needed something state-of-the-art.
“It is still functioning very well, but people have to pick up their luggage outdoors, and the first thing that newcomers to Wagga see is the airport. I hope they don’t always judge our city by the airport terminal.
“We need something that is going to serve the needs of a modern Wagga community and the entire Riverina,” he said.
Mr McCormack said he would be meeting with WWCC to discuss the airport lease and other matters.
Last year, WWCC extended its lease of the Wagga Airport from the Commonwealth Department of Defence amid negotiations over its long-term future.
Mr McCormack said he was able to get an extension for the negotiations until 30 June 2026, as the city’s 30-year lease on the Commonwealth-owned asset was set to expire in June 2025.
“I’m very hopeful we can continue to have Rex servicing Wagga, and there’s been no greater friend of Rex than the person right at this microphone.
“When I was the transport minister and deputy prime minister, and through COVID, we kept planes flying … planes in the air means jobs on the ground.
“I’m hopeful that Rex is going to find a buyer very soon.”
Mr McCormack believes WWCC is the best operator for the airport and does not support a private operator taking over the lease, believing this could lead to increased prices, making it prohibitive for QantasLink and Rex to continue flying to Wagga and potentially resulting in service cutbacks.
The Nationals candidate added that if he won the election and the Coalition won government, he would upgrade the airport regardless of its ownership status.
Wagga’s Labor Party president and candidate for the seat of Riverina Mark Jeffreson said upon hearing Mr McCormack’s announcement, he thought he “must have been dreaming”.
“It’s the same promise from three years ago, rejigged for another election campaign,” Mr Jeffreson said. “It’s almost like a feature of the election campaign — much the same thing with the CPI adjustment, no indication of who’s going to get the benefit from that refurbishment.
“I understand that council is still talking with the Defence Department, trying to come up with a solution that’s equitable for everybody and Mr McCormack has said that irrespective of whether council is the lessee or whether it’s a private enterprise, they’ll be good for that money.
“Their experience in government with throwing money at private enterprise and then just watching it disappear is possibly not the most prudent approach to take.
“They threw money at the Sydney Olympic pool, which is now closed. They threw money at Rex, which had to be saved by the Labor Party, and now they’re just going to throw money to someone else … It just seems to be a reckless use of taxpayers’ money.”
In response to Mr McCormack’s statement urging candidates to match his federal funding for the airport, the Labor candidate rejected the idea.
“I wouldn’t be inclined to, with the lack of information. Like all the promises that they’re making at the moment in the heat of an election campaign, there’s no background, there’s no backdrop,” Mr Jeffreson said.
“It’s just an amount of money thrown into the air, and hopefully we’ll see some benefit from it. But we don’t really know, because there’s no structure or plan. We don’t even know who benefits from the money.”
Mr Jeffreson said he hoped WWCC could land the deal and keep the airport in the hands of council for the Riverina residents.
He said if the airport was privatised, the company could refurbish it as a business.
