'Don't meet the criteria': Father fumes after children denied entry on 'Indigenous-only' charter flight in remote Queensland

Sky News AU

24-06-2025

An Aussie father was left baffled after his children were turned away from a near-empty 'Indigenous only' charter flight in north-west Queensland.
Derek Lord's children were denied entry after he tried paying for seats on a taxpayer-funded flight - designed to accommodate Indigenous students under the ABSTUDY scheme.
His children are boarding at a school in Charters Towers, southwest of Townsville, and without access to charter flights, they face a six-day journey to get home for the holiday period.
Mr Lord, an air traffic services reporting officer at Normanton Airport, told Sydney 2GB's Ben Fordham he was confused why he could not purchase tickets on the plane given they were typically half-empty.
'The booking company that now does it, which is overseas, refused to allow our children to get on because they don't meet the criteria,' he said.
'It's taxpayer funded and even if we were willing to pay, the plane is coming here – it's been paid for by everyone's taxes whether you're Indigenous or non-Indigenous, the kids are from the same town.
'And by the way, we're in the middle of a flood crisis and we couldn't get in or out.
'So, there was no way to get our kids home unless it's on a private charter ourselves, or through Rex, and Rex can be up to two to three weeks waiting for a seat.'
ABSTUDY is a federal government initiative through Services Australia which provides financial support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and apprentices.
Katter's Australian Party (KAP) leader Robbie Katter said the current policy was 'madness' as people from the same town and school were forced to operate under "different rules".
'The system is broken and families are paying the price,' he said on Facebook.
'Remote families being ignored, taxpayers being gouged, empty seats going to waste.
'It's not about race - it's about fairness. If the plane's already coming in, and there are spare seats, let kids get home.'
Mr Katter said his party would be "pushing hard" to fix the charter flight issue and hold both levels of government to account.
The Albanese government confirmed it was reviewing the incident.
'Charter flights are only used where it is the cheapest or most cost effective alternative, from very remote communities. The allocation of spare seats is a matter for the charter company," a spokesperson for Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said.
"The government agrees that empty seats should be made available for other students or community members to purchase where safe and practical to do so. The Minister will request updated advice from her department on this issue to ensure charter fees reflect value for money."