QANTAS Airways has announced that it will shed 263 aircraft maintenance jobs from Avalon, despite Premier Baillieu assuring the public that his Government would protect jobs from going interstate, Shadow Minister for Employment, Tim Pallas said today. 

Joining State Member for Lara John Eren in Avalon, Mr Pallas said that 68 jobs would be lost from the D Check Maintenance section, with a further 195 from aircraft reconfiguration, 108 of these jobs to go directly toBrisbane. 

“The announcement of today’s job losses is a terrible blow to the states aviation industry and yet more proof that Victoria is losing out to other states under the Baillieu Government”, Mr Pallas said. 

“If Ted Baillieu was serious about saving these 263 jobs, his government would have supported investment in new hangar facilities here in Victoria.”

Mr Pallas said when asked by the Opposition in parliament whether there would be further Qantas job losses from Avalon, Mr Baillieu stated:  

“Our efforts have been critical to ensuring that Avalon remains as a heavy maintenance facility” (Ted Baillieu, 22 May 2012, Hansard p2139)  

“Premier Ted Baillieu has been caught out assuring that the future of engineering jobs at valon airport is secure. With today’s announcement, this is clearly not the case,” Mr Pallas said.  

Mr Eren said that the loss of 263 local jobs would be a huge blow for the local Lara and Geelong community.

“Many employees and their families have settled in the local area and will be forced to leave in order to find alternative work.  

“Local families deserve an explanation from Mr Baillieu as to why job losses of this magnitude have occurred,” Mr Eren said.  

Mr Pallas said that the number of unemployed Victorians had climbed by 18,000 since Mr Baillieu was elected nearly two years ago.  

“The question Mr Baillieu needs to answer is how many more jobs will be lost in Victoria
before his government wakes up and delivers a jobs plan for the future?”