Qantas happy to fly in face of activist call on refugees

Qantas says it is not up to airlines to play “adjudicator” on asylum seekers, despite pressure for the airline to stop carrying deported refugees.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. 2018.

Qantas says it is not up to airlines to play “adjudicator” on asylum-seekers, despite pressure from ­corporate activists for them to stop carrying refugees being deported from Australia.

The Australian Centre for ­Corporate Responsibility, the ­SumOfUs, and the Refugee Advice and Casework Service are targeting Qantas and Virgin Australia, who have contracts with the federal government to transport refugees and asylum-seekers.

Protests outside a Qantas-sponsored event in Sydney today accused the national carrier of “carrying our national shame”.

SumOfUs senior campaigner Nick Haines said the federal government “relied on Qantas to help carry out its cruel and legally questionable deportation policy”.

“Qantas is under no obligation to help Peter Dutton,” said Mr Haines. “It can say no.”

Further protests are expected at the Qantas annual general meeting in Brisbane next Friday, which will hear a resolution brought by 122 of the airline’s 93,000 shareholders, sponsored by ACCR.

The resolution seeks to change the company’s constitution so a further resolution can be heard on the involuntary transportation of refugees. ACCR executive director Brynn O’Brien said it was about business risk.

“Our assessment of these involuntary transportation contracts is that the risk is too big; the return too small,” Ms O’Brien said.

“Nothing that Qantas has said over the engagement period has persuaded us otherwise.”

She said Qantas was yet to disclose to investors what percentage of its business was represented by involuntary transportation.

“We assume that forced deportations and removals represent a small part of Qantas’s overall business,” Ms O’Brien said.

A voting guide prepared by the Australian Shareholders Association for the Qantas AGM recommended the rejection of the ACCR resolution.

“We are reluctant to vote in favour of changing company constitutions,” the guide said.

“In the matter of the contingent resolution, the directors have put forward their position that the government and courts are best placed to make decisions on the legal immigration status of individuals seeking to remain in ­Australia.”

Qantas head of external communications Luke Enright said it hoped ACCR and other groups would “respect the outcome of the vote” at the AGM.

“These are very complex and emotive matters but it’s not for airlines to adjudicate on who should and shouldn’t get to stay in Australia after the government and courts have made their decisions,” Mr Enright said.

“But that’s exactly what these protesters and corporate activists are asking airlines to do.”

He said the real target was not Qantas, rather it was an attempt to pressure politicians on immigration policy using the national carrier’s high profile.

“We suspect that’s why they are not targeting airlines that actually fly to the nations where those seeking asylum are from,” said Mr Enright.

In Britain, Virgin Atlantic has stopped carrying asylum-seekers.