Regional development minister Alannah MacTiernan has said at some point hard decisions would have to be made about the Busselton-Margaret River Airport project.
Her comments were prompted by questions from South West MLC Steve Thomas in parliament on June 14.
Mr Thomas asked if the government had set a time limit by which a concrete agreement with an airline must be signed.
Ms MacTiernan told the Mail the state government would need to review whether to proceed with the new terminal if no interstate airline had agreed to come to Busselton by the end of July.
“There is no point in building a new terminal if we cannot entice even a modest service,” she said.
However, City of Busselton chief executive officer Mike Archer said the city’s contract with the state government provided them until December 2018 to secure a provider.
He said negotiations to secure an airline contract remained on track.
Mr Archer said the external funds committed by the state government to progress the airport expansion were critical to the project’s delivery.
“We are doing all we can to comply with the minister’s requests in relation to this key strategic project and do not expect these funds, which have been formally allocated, to be pulled,” he said.
Vasse MLA Libby Mettam said securing an airline could not happen without the government’s support.
“It is very difficult for the government’s lead agency, Tourism WA, to promote an airline route with an incomplete terminal,” she said.
“The government has to understand that in order to ensure a commitment from an airline the terminal must be completed now and not after an airline has been secured.”
In parliament, Ms MacTiernan stated the government wanted the project to succeed.
“We absolutely want an airline—Jetstar in particular, which is the one involving the most intensive negotiation—to come forward with a proposal,” she said.
