Chris “Two Jets” Bowen and his Flights of Fancy

British Labour had John “Two Jags” Prescott. Australian Labor can beat him by an order of magnitude. They’ve got Chris “Two Jets” Bowen.

The Prime Minister admires Chris Bowen’s impression of a Dassault Falcon 7X

Former British deputy PM Prescott earned that enduring nickname because besides his own Jaguar, he also enjoyed a chauffeur-driven government model – once using it to carry Prescott and his missus 250 yards from their hotel to a Labour conference.

Such indulgence led to decades of ridicule for poor old Two Jags. What, then, are we to make of our own double-vehicle fancy lads, whose extravagance and entitlement makes Prescott’s excesses seem downright quaint:

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has defended the use of two jets to ferry himself and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to a clean energy event in the Hunter Valley, at an estimated cost to taxpayers of more than $100,000, despite cheaper commercial options being available.

A picture of two Dassault Falcon 7X jets belonging to the Royal Australian Air Force snapped last Thursday morning was revealed by 2GB’s Ben Fordham after it was posted to a local community Facebook page, with questions raised about why two planes were needed to take Mr Albanese and Mr Bowen from Canberra to the same event in Scone.

The nature of that event makes all of this even more beautiful:

The pair were going to the Hunter Valley to announce $1 billion in funding for the “Solar SunShot” program to encourage the local manufacture of solar panels.

Bowen subsequently offered some Skinner-style excuses for Labor’s two-jet jaunt:

“The Air Force advised that the most efficient way to get the Prime Minister and two cabinet ministers to the Liddell Power Station was to go to Scone Airport, where the runway was not rated for the Prime Minister’s normal large jet,” Mr Bowen said Monday.

“The Prime Minister has a large jet available to him, that would normally be what we take. The runway at Scone wasn’t strong enough to take a large jet so the air force … took a decision for two jets.”

But in the end it essentially boiled down to this:

Mr Bowen claimed the large number of staff in his office and Mr Albanese’s office meant they could not fit on one jet, due to the lack of seats.

We’ve all got to make climate sacrifices, Chris. We all need to cut back if we’re going to save the planet. As a first step, perhaps you and the PM should reduce your personal staff.

Nothing drastic, mind. Just bring down the numbers until you can fit all of them in one RAAF aircraft. Or, better still, in one electric highway buggy. Do it for Gaia, solar boy.

Meanwhile, “Two Jets” better hope his new nickname doesn’t stick. Prescott’s “Two Jags” title is still attached even 25 years later.

UPDATE. James Morrow:

Just how many ministers and their staff does it take to stand up and read a media release?

There’s an old saying that says cocaine is God’s way of saying you have too much money.

Perhaps the political equivalent is, if your travelling staff can’t fit on a Dassault Falcon (capacity 19 passengers!) your entourage is too big.

Yep. Please read on.

UPDATE II. Tough day for Two Jets: