Launch of the 2025 Avalon Air Show

*** Acknowledgements omitted ***

This is the 16th edition of the Air Show, and we are really excited. For me, it's my world's colliding – it's where I'm both Minister for Defence but also the local member. And from the perspective of Defence, this is a really significant event. As Justin said, there will be 900 exhibitors, which is the biggest gathering in relation to air power trade shows. What happens in combination with the Air Show, though, is also the Chief of Air Force Symposium, that will be occurring on Monday. It will be hosted by our Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Steve Chappell. It'll have 20 Chiefs of Air Force from around the world, including Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the Chief of the UK Air Staff. It will also include Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb, Chief of the New Zealand Air Force, among 20 other Chiefs of Air Force who will be here. And that's the biggest gathering of Chiefs of Air Force that occurs in Australia, and it is always done in combination with the Air Show and obviously they'll have the opportunity to visit the Air Show later in the week. 

As the local member, this is really one of the biggest events that occurs in Geelong, if not the biggest event that occurs in Geelong. And we will see hundreds of thousands of people over the course of the weekend, from Friday through to Sunday. It is an event that fills up hotels in this town, which is something that is looked forward to by everyone in Geelong. And we are really excited to have Charlie Duke here. As Justin said, Charlie Duke walked on the moon as part of Apollo 16, he was also the CAPCOM on Apollo 11, which means he was the person speaking to Neil Armstrong in those 13 minutes of the moon landing. That is very dramatic piece of footage or audio if you ever want to listen to it. So going to be fantastic to have him here, as well as having Captain Bennell-Pegg. Katherine is the first astronaut to fly under the Australian flag, we've had other astronauts from Australia who phone under a US flag, but Katherine is the first Australian flagged astronaut, and she's obviously our first female astronaut as well, and that'll be fantastic to have her present. 

I’d like to thank the Council, this doesn't happen but for the efforts that the Council puts in. I really want to thank the Royal Australian Air Force, it is a considerable commitment that the Royal Australian Air Force makes every Air Show to see this Air Show occur. I think those in the media have flown down on one of the C-17s, so you would have enjoyed the comfort ride of that aircraft. I would like to thank the Victorian Government, obviously a really key partner in this. But I really want to single out Justin. Justin is a Geelong person, as people know, grew up in Geelong’s north, lives in Lara, I think, still so gets to hear the noise of the Air Show and smell the fumes in the morning, which is as it should be. But Justin has done an incredible job with AMDA, not just with the Air Show, but with the Pacific and Land Forces, but with the Air Show as well. And we're really grateful to all the effort that you have put in. We should acknowledge Avalon Airport as well which hosts this event, and it's not an insignificant undertaking from the airport to be able to do that as well so I'd like to thank them and Linfox for the contribution that they make. But Justin, you know, you’ve put together an incredible Air Show this year, and we could not be more excited about having it.