The ACTU has welcomed today’s announcement by the Ansett Administrator that the sale of the Sydney domestic terminal lease has been successfully finalised with the Sydney Airports Corporation.

ACTU Assistant Secretary Richard Marles said the outcome was a good one for Ansett employees and had been achieved despite the fact that the ACCC had eliminated Qantas as a competitive bidder for the terminal assets.

‘The only real winner from the ACCC’s intervention in the sale of Ansett’s terminal leases at Sydney airport is the Federal Government, who is the 100% owner of the Sydney Airports Corporation,’ Mr Marles said.

The ACTU warned that the Federal Government remained the greatest threat to securing 100% payment of employee entitlements by demanding more than $300 million be paid to them from the Ansett administration.

‘It’s outrageous that the Government would continue to collect millions of dollars from the travelling public through it’s $10 ticket tax and still insist that it be paid more than $300 million from Ansett’s assets ahead of employee creditors,’ Mr Marles said.

‘The ticket tax should be used for the purpose for which it was introduced, that is, to fund payment of employee entitlements. The Government should stick to its word and drop its demand to be paid ahead of employee creditors.’