As airlines struggle with the challenge of making country routes pay, councils struggle with the costs associated with 21st century requirements and regulations, and commuters complain about high airfares, the NSW government has stepped in to try and make some sense of an issue with many levels of complexity.

The government has really been forced to step in after a succession of airline collapses that have left regional communities high and dry and residents’ confidence in the industry at an all-time low.

In our region alone, the demise of Brindabella Airlines and Vincent Aviation came as massive blows to the communities of Tamworth, Moree and Narrabri, not to mention the many other smaller places that also relied on these airports.

The inquiry is visiting the region this week and will no doubt take away a raft of information from local stakeholders about how important a robust regional aviation industry is to anyone outside Sydney and Newcastle.

Reliable airlines and services are vital for conquering the tyranny of distance anyone over the Great Dividing Range must struggle with on a regular basis.

Communities, too, must have this transport link if they are to grow their populations and encourage more business investment.

Any inquiry though, must also look at prices because the unfortunate reality is that ticket pricing impacts on the number of people who can afford to fly, thereby hitting an airline’s bottom line and its viability in the end.

It’s hoped this commitment by the state government to get to the bottom of the regional aviation crisis will extend to some real solutions and innovations that will restore the faith of so many country communities.

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THE news that tenders for the construction of a new base for Tamworth’s Parry School is great news for students – current and future – their families and the community.

The school, for students with behavioural issues, has been operating out of an old house, but from next year there will be a new, 

purpose-built facility that will allow it to provide significantly improved amenities for its pupils and increase the number of children it can help.

It’s a timely reminder not all students benefit from and thrive in mainstream public or private education, and that our society owes it to them to provide the facilities they need to make the most of their lives.