Cameron Dick says ‘we’ll stop at nothing to ensure Virgin headquarters remain in Qld’

Minister Cameron Dick has told the NSW Government to ‘back off’, saying Queensland will ‘stop at nothing’ and may even consider increasing Virgin’s bailout to ensure the airline’s headquarters are not relocated.

STATE Development Minister Cameron Dick has told the New South Wales Government to “back off” amid revelations it was in discussions with Virgin to relocate the Queensland headquarters interstate.

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“Can I just say this to the NSW Treasurer, back off, back right off, just don’t go there,” he said.

“If the world knows one thing, it knows this – there is nothing more dangerous than Queenslanders with their backs to the wall.

“We will stop at nothing to ensure the headquarters of Virgin remains in Queensland.”

Asked whether Queensland would consider a bigger bailout – larger than the $200 million already on the table – Mr Dick said the Government was going to monitor the situation closely.

Minister Cameron Dick speaks during a press conference at Parliament House, Brisbane. Photo: Jono Searle/Getty Images

“If there’s more we need to put in, we will consider that,” he said.

The Minister said New South Wales “might want to bring a peashooter to the fight, that’s fine – we’ll bring a bazooka and we’re not afraid to use it.”

“I think this is more about propping up the Western Sydney airport than it is about the genuine interests of Virgin workers,” he said.

A grounded Virgin Australia aircraft parked at Brisbane Airport after the Australian government forced airline carriers to cut both their domestic and international flights in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. (AAP Image/Darren England)

Queensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington refused to back Mr Dick’s, insisting Virgin needed to “recommit” to Queensland.

Asked whether NSW should back off, Ms Frecklington said, “Gladys Berejiklian is a very good friend of mine and she’s one tough Premier.”

Pressed further on it, the Opposition Leader said she would be urging Virgin to recommit to Queensland, citing the 750 job losses flagged by the airline last August.

“What I want to see is Virgin show us that Queensland is their number one,” she said.

Ms Frecklington called to see the details of the State Government’s proposed $200 million bail out.

Mr Dick called on the Federal Government to support Virgin workers in Queensland and to release the principals it was reportedly working on to support a two airline policy in Australia.

“The Prime Minister often says how good is Queensland, the truth is how good are 5000 Virgin jobs in Queensland, how good is 1200 jobs at the Bowen Hills headquarters for Virgin,” he said.