Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come under fire from the Coalition over his acceptance of free upgrades on Qantas flights directly from then CEO Alan Joyce, while Labor ministers defended him, saying that these perks were recorded in the parliamentary interests registers.
The revelations surfaced in the latest book by Australian Financial Review journalist Joe Aston, “The Chairman’s Lounge,” published in newspapers during the weekend, The Guardian reported.
The book revealed that Albanese declared flight upgrades on around 20 Qantas flights between 2009 and 2019, during his time as transport minister, shadow transport minister, and opposition leader.
Some of these flights were noted as being “personally funded” and included destinations such as Rome, London, Los Angeles, and Honolulu.
“According to Qantas insiders, Albanese would liaise with Joyce directly about his personal travel,” Aston wrote.
Albanese dismissed the book, stating, “Every single thing has been declared, which is why it’s been reported on.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton questioned the Labor government’s relationship with Qantas’ Joyce, as well as Albanese’s connection to him. He also pointed to the “strange arrangements,” and added that he was unaware of other politicians making similar requests.
“If you are the transport minister and you are picking up the phone to one of the most important stakeholders in your portfolio, asking for a free upgrade … I am not aware of anyone else having done it,” Dutton said on Monday.
Dutton too has declared his membership in the exclusive Qantas Chairman’s Lounge and Virgin’s club. Last December, he disclosed a “flight upgrade … courtesy of Qantas” for himself and his wife, Kirilly, on a Brisbane-to-Sydney flight. But, he denied asking airline chiefs to upgrade his flights.
Albanese’s relationship with the former Qantas CEO faced scrutiny after the government blocked additional flights from Qatar Airways into Australia.
Geoffrey Watson, director of the Centre for Public Integrity, stated that Albanese should be more transparent about how he received the upgrades and whether they influenced his government’s decisions, ABC reported.
“These sorts of advantages have been acquired,” Watson said. “It’s not enough just to write them on a list somewhere. What was given in return?”
Opposition Transport Minister Bridget McKenzie demanded Albanese to provide the log of all the free upgrades he and his family received.
“The Australian public needs to be told exactly how many private and public upgrades were provided to Albanese and his family and what the total value of those upgrades are,” she told the ABC.
Defending the prime minister, Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt called the story “unsourced rumors being put around by a journalist.”
“The most important thing is if you receive a benefit like this, that it is declared … This has been on the public record the whole time,” Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said.
