Kathryn Bermingham | If politicians are serious about holding Qantas to account, they should relinquish Chairman’s Lounge membership

If politicians are serious about calling out the poor practices of Qantas, there’s one huge move they must make, writes Kathryn Bermingham.

At what point will Australian politicians decide the crisis engulfing Qantas has become so bad they might need to sacrifice their free canapes and champagne?

As the national carrier continues to let down its workers and passengers alike, our elected representatives are happy to reap generous benefits as members of the ritzy, invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge.

If they’re serious about holding the airline to account, they should publicly relinquish their memberships.

In the latest instalment of the Qantas saga, former chief executive Alan Joyce is under increasing pressure to return to Australia to front parliament over his controversial tenure.

Of particular interest is whether the airline lobbied the federal government to block Qatar Airways from scheduling 28 extra flights into Australia each week – a move that could have saved Australians an estimated $500 on a return airfare to Europe.

It comes after Qantas was found to have illegally sacked workers during the pandemic, and was alleged to have continued selling tickets for cancelled flights.

Alan Joyce, former chief executive officer of Qantas. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty

Amid all this, federal and state MPs have retained their membership of the all-expenses-covered lounge.

So exclusive is this club that no amount of frequent flyer points will earn you entry. It is invitation-only and reserved for elites – politicians, judges, senior executives, celebrities and the like.

In fact, Mr Joyce himself has previously described it as “probably the most exclusive club in the country”.

For those lucky enough to make the cut, the lounge offers the full VIP service including free booze, restaurant-quality meals, private working areas and flight upgrades that can be worth thousands of dollars. Not too shabby.

A handful of federal MPs are not members of the lounge either because they have relinquished their memberships in the name of integrity or, in cases like that of Labor senator and former transport union boss Tony Sheldon, because they never accepted them to begin with.

At a state level, it was last month revealed that every member of the Labor Cabinet is a member of the lounge, as well as Liberals David Speirs and Steven Marshall, and Speaker Dan Cregan.

Interestingly, 18 South Australians state MPs are members – while in Victoria that number is only eight.

At the time, a spokesman for Premier Peter Malinauskas pointed out that he has publicly advocated for Qantas to uphold its reputation as the national carrier by returning flights to Adelaide.

The Premier has also praised Qatar Airways for continuing to run international flights into South Australia, particularly during the pandemic.

Both are examples where sticking up for the interests of South Australians has meant speaking out against Qantas.

But as the Qantas crisis drags on, governments should expect more occasions when it will need to call out the airline for poor practice.

And their lounge memberships leave them open to suggestions they are “cosy” with Qantas – whether that is true or not.

It’s time to ask themselves: is it really worth it for a steak dinner and a glass of red?