Up to 100 new jobs will be created in aviation after Qantas and Jetstar expanded a training facility the airlines already run in Airport West, near Melbourne and Essendon airports.
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But the Victorian government, which has worked with the airlines to bring the jobs to Victoria, says the amount of public money that will be handed to the corporations to expand the training centre and also open a new hangar at Tullamarine will remain secret.
The move, which Qantas and Jetstar say will see $100 million being spent on equipment and jobs in Victoria, follows the sacking of hundreds of engineers at the airline group's Tullamarine and Avalon service centres in 2012.
Speaking from the Qantas training centre in Airport West on Tuesday morning, Premier Denis Napthine made the announcement of the new jobs, alongside Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce.
The Premier refused to say how much public funding would be given to the airlines.
But he said the public investment in the centre would be "modest". Dr Napthine would not say precisely how much taxpayers would give to Qantas and Jetstar as part of the deal.
In Opposition, the Coalition attacked the Brumby government regularly over confidential deals it did with private-sector partners.
Victoria was pitted against other states in a bid to bring the jobs to Melbourne.
"Having the training base here, having the servicing here, is just fantastic news for Melbourne and Victoria," Dr Napthine said. "It will create 100 jobs, and these are highly skilled jobs. ... These are secure jobs and these are jobs for the next century."
There was also scope for further employment growth as Jetstar's 787 fleet expands in the future.
Equipment including a 787 flight simulator will be installed at the Airport West facility. New jobs created would include cabin crew trainers, simulator instructors and engineers to support the entry in service of the aircraft, a statement from the airline said.
"This is a big occasion for the Qantas group," Mr Joyce told media at this morning's media launch of the training facility, for the airline group's 787 Dreamliner flight simulator.
"The 787 has a strong connection to Victoria with parts of the aircraft manufactured at Boeing Aerostructures Australia's facility in Port Melbourne," Mr Joyce said.
Mr Joyce said that jobs in Victoria had been lost in recent years because the new technology of modern aircraft meant that far less heavy servicing was needed. The new 787 aircraft require major servicings only once every 12 years, compared to older aircraft which must get large overhauls every six years.
The airlines will be leasing a hangar for "light servicing" of some aircraft at Tullamarine, with its heavy maintenance of other aircraft continuing to be done elsewhere, in Brisbane - where its 737, 767 and 330 aircraft are services - and Avalon, where it's 747s are serviced.
Aviation Industry Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips, also speaking at the launch of the training facility expansion, said it was an "incredibly important investment in aviation in Victoria".
