Qantas CEO Alan Joyce to be quizzed on bumper profits during cost of living crisis

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce will be quizzed on sky high airfares by the senate cost-of-living inquiry on Monday, just days after they announced a $1.7 billion profit.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce will be quizzed on sky high airfares by the senate cost-of-living inquiry on Monday as closing arguments begin in SafeWork NSW’s criminal prosecution of the airline in the District Court.

Last week the flying kangaroo bounced back into the black with a bumper $1.7 billion profit that has been partly funded by job cuts, cost cutting and a 32 per cent increase in fares paid by passengers since Covid.

Former Transport Workers Union chief, Senator Tony Sheldon is on the cost of living inquiry and said Mr Joyce’s appearance today would give the Australian public a chance to see what the CEO is really like.

“He has the chance to talk fully and frankly, I don’t want to see him waffling on, going through the same talking points he has been workshopping for the last 10 years,” Mr Sheldon said.

Alan Joyce discusses the Qantas Group’s full year results at the Qantas Head Quarters in Mascot last week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

“It is a chance for him to explain how you can receive $2.7bn from taxpayers during Covid and expect to get a work force on track and properly service customers,” he said. “It is not the answers he gives but the answers he doesn’t that will be really telling.”

After announcing the profit last week Mr Joyce ruled out paying back the Government’s bail out, saying much of it was for JobKeeper and leasing planes to keep the country running.

He said higher profits meant more tax.

“As we‘re making money, we’ll pay corporate tax, and we’ll be getting there faster,” he told the ABC.

At the same time as Mr Joyce appears before the inquiry, SafeWork NSW’s criminal case against Qantas for breaching the Work Health and Safety Act continues in the District Court of NSW.

It alleges Qantas breached safety rules by standing down cleaner Theo Seremetidis after he raised concerns during the pandemic that cleaning staff did not have adequate personal protective equipment including masks while working on planes that had arrived from China.

Qantas has said previously Mr Seremetiis was stood down for telling people not to work.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. Picture: Steve Creedy

Transport Workers Union National Secretary Michael Kaine said Mr Seremetidis had done the right thing and had not worked another day at Qantas since raising the alarm.

“His job was illegally outsourced along with 1700 other ground and fleet presentation workers,” Mr Kaine said.

Qantas is now waiting on the result of its appeal against two Federal Court rulings that found the outsourcing of 1700 baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff during Covid was illegal.

“Many records have been broken by Qantas in the last few years,” Mr Kaine said.

“An obscene record underlying profit of $2.5 billion during a cost-of-living crisis and decimated service standards, the largest case of illegal sackings in Australian history, and the first ever criminal prosecution of its kind by SafeWork NSW.”

A Qantas spokesman said it had been invited to attend a Cost of Living Senate Committee hearing and to nominate relevant executives, which it did.

“Despite no other company CEO being required to attend, the Committee subsequently insisted that Qantas CEO Alan Joyce appear, which he will do,” he said.

Originally published as Qantas CEO Alan Joyce to be quizzed on bumper profits during cost of living crisis