Using its WA-based 150-seater A319 fleet, Qantas’ regional arm will begin a new route from Perth to Newcastle three times per week on 8 September, and restore its former Perth–Hobart service three times per week from 26 September.

Senator McKenzie, who was a critic of the Labor government’s aviation policy and pushed for EU-style “pay-on-delay” laws during the government’s first term, has signalled a continued focus on aviation in her second stint as the opposition’s transport spokesperson.

The flight, which lifted off on Wednesday morning Australian time, successfully reached space unlike the explosions of both the seventh and eighth test flights shortly after liftoff earlier this year, following hardware adjustments by SpaceX prior to the flight.

As reported in The Australian, the national council of the TWU has resolved to work to secure a multi-employer agreement for ground crew, and to explore similar arrangements in other sectors. The news follows protest action by the TWU against working conditions at Swissport.