Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received a further eight flight upgrades in early parliamentary career

The Coalition says the PM may have breached ministerial codes of conduct as transport minister as Anthony Albanese hits back at criticism of his parliamentary perks.

Anthony Albanese declared receiving eight international flight upgrades during his early political career, as the Prime Minister hits back at criticism of his parliamentary perks. 

Exclusive analysis of Mr Albanese’s archived entries in the Register of Members’ Interests since 1999 shows the PM and his then-spouse Carmel Tebbutt received flight upgrades on four separate trips, which amounted to thousands of dollars worth of gifts.

These are in addition to the 22 flights Mr Albanese is previously reported as having received upgrades for.

Mr Albanese defended his track record on Tuesday and said he could only recall one past conversation with former Alan Joyce about a special new plane route event, but avoided ruling out if had directly phoned the former Qantas CEO about other trips.

“In my time in public life I have acted with integrity, acted in a way that is entirely appropriate and I have declared in accordance with the rules,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he only recalls one direct conversation with Alan Joyce about a Qantas flight that was celebrating a new route to Dubai. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

MATTER OF PM’S ‘MINISTERIAL INTEGRITY’

The Coalition has demanded Mr Albanese rule out that he did not contact Mr Joyce to ask for upgrades from himself or family members, a claim attributed to Qantas insiders in journalist Joe Aston’s book ‘The Chairman’s Lounge’.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie said this had become a matter of “ministerial integrity”.

The ministerial codes of conduct in place when Mr Albanese was transport minister under the Rudd-Gillard government clearly banned ministers from seeking or encouraging any form of gift in their personal capacity.

“Ministers are required to exercise the functions of their public office unaffected by considerations of personal advantage or disadvantage,” the standards said.

“Ministers, in their official capacity, may therefore accept customary official gifts, hospitality, tokens of appreciation, and similar formal gestures in accordance with the relevant guidelines, but must not seek or encourage any form of gift in their personal capacity.”

Ms McKenzie said it was up to Mr Albanese to “assure the Australian public” if he solicited flight upgrades.

“So far despite two press conferences we don’t have an answer to that question,” she said.

The PM’s office was contacted for comment.

THE FLIGHTS

It can be revealed that February 2, 2000, Mr Albanese declared he and Ms Tebbutt had received upgrades from economy to business class for “two flights during our recent holiday to Thailand”.

The Qantas flights were taken during the 39th parliament when Mr Albanese held junior roles as a parliamentary secretary and opposition spokesman for family and community services.

On 20 January 1999, Mr Albanese declared receiving an upgrade from economy to business class on a Qantas flight from Christchurch to Sydney.

Later that year on April 21, he declared receiving upgrades from economy to business on a return Qantas flight between Sydney and Hong Kong.

On September 11 2000, Mr Albanese declared he and Ms Tebbutt received a series of upgrades related to the one trip, which included an economy to business upgrade with Qantas flying Sydney to Singapore.

The couple then were upgraded from economy to first class by British Airways on the Sydney to London leg of the trip.

On the return from London to Sydney, Mr Albanese declared he and Ms Tebbutt were upgraded from economy to business class.

These upgrades predate the tenure of former Qantas boss Mr Joyce, who headed the airline between 2008 and 2023, and are prior to Mr Albanese becoming transport minister in the Rudd-Gillard government.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended his track record declaring parliamentary perks. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Mr Albanese has come under increasing pressure to explain his relationship with Mr Joyce, after Mr Aston revealed in his book that the PM had received at least 22 free Qantas upgrades since 2009.

It was revealed this included several trips when Mr Albanese was transport minister in the Rudd-Gillard government.

“I’ve been completely transparent,” the PM said on Tuesday.

“I’ve declared everything.”

Anthony Albanese declared eight flight upgrades between 1999 and 2000 including seven with Qantas and one with British Airways: Picture: AFP

Mr Albanese took aim at Opposition leader Peter Dutton for taking a series of private flights at the expense of billionaire Gina Rhinehart, and highlighted the travel perks of other MPs, such as Coalition frontbencher Paul Fletcher accepting 69 upgrades during his parliament career.

Mr Albanese offered explanations for some of his flights, including one from Perth to London that was the first direct non-stop on that route and attended by multiple government and opposition figures.

Asked if he had ever discussed flight upgrades with Mr Joyce, Mr Albanese said the only discussions he could “recall” with the former CEO were in person and related to the first flight from Australia to Dubai on an A380.

“It was about an arrangement between Australia and the UAE,” he said.

“Every other flight, I paid for. Every other flight.”

Mr Albanese said 10 of the 22 flight upgrades he had received since 2009 were taken during a one-month period in 2013 during the Labor leadership ballot between him and now-NDIS Minster Bill Shorten.

“Both Qantas and Virgin provided upgrades for flights that were paid for by the Australian Labor Party to make sure there was not any cost to taxpayers for what was internal (party) business,” he said.

No transport minister since Mr Albanese received flight upgrades while they were in charge of the portfolio.

Former Coalition transport minister John Anderson. Picture: AAP Image/Alan Porritt

It can be also be revealed longserving Coalition transport minister John Anderson did not declare any upgrades during his tenure between 1998 and 2005.

After leaving the portfolio in 2005 he went on to declare three upgraded return trips with Qantas, including two visits to the UK and one to the US.

Current Coalition transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie this week corrected the record after initially claiming she had not received any upgraded flights, in a statement she said “I had received a Qantas upgrade which was declared on my parliamentary register”.

Originally published as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received a further eight flight upgrades in early parliamentary career