Anthony Albanese’s Qantas ties face more scrutiny in parliament, Qatar issue to be revisited

Anthony Albanese’s top bureaucrats will be grilled in parliament over the Prime Minister’s relationship with Qantas and his involvement in blocking Qatar’s application for more flights.

Anthony Albanese and Alan Joyce last year. Picture: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Anthony Albanese’s top bureaucrats will be grilled in parliament over the Prime Minister’s relationship with Qantas and his involvement in blocking Qatar Airways’ application for more flights, as a cabinet minister admitted to personally requesting a flight upgrade with the national carrier.

As Mr Albanese’s relationship with Qantas is set to face further scrutiny as parliament returns this week, The Australian has obtained a letter from Coalition senators to Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Glyn Davis foreshadowing a series of questions Peter Dutton’s team wants answered in Senate estimates beginning Monday.

Professor Davis was asked to be prepared for questions about whether Mr Albanese or his office communicated with Qantas about Qatar’s application for more flight slots prior to the decision being made by Transport Minister Catherine King.

The nation’s top bureaucrat was also asked to prepare to be asked whether PM&C officials met with or discussed the Qatar application with Qantas before Ms King’s decision, if PM&C made any recommendations about the decision, and whether an instruction or opinion was conveyed by Mr Albanese or his office to Ms King about the Qatar application.

The letter, sent last week by Liberal senators Simon Birmingham and Richard Colbeck, asked for all officials to be available and “prepared to answer questions to determine if the Prime Minister exercised his prime ministerial authority, or his office did so on his behalf, to interfere to protect Qantas”.

“We note that some of these questions may require liaison between PM&C and the PMO, which is a key reason advance notice is being provided, along with copying this correspondence to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff,” the letter said.

The Opposition Leader is also expected to ask Mr Albanese questions in the House of Representatives over his involvement with the government’s decision to block Qatar’s bid in 2023 for additional flight slots in Australia – a ruling that benefited the commercial interests of Qantas.

The Qatar issue is a way the Coalition can keep pressure on Mr Albanese over his relationship with former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce without it being solely about free flights and upgrades, which is likely to become a problem for both major parties.

The political debate last week was dominated by allegations released in a book, The Chairman’s Lounge, by former Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston, that Mr Albanese accepted free flight upgrades worth tens of thousands of dollars while he was either transport minister or shadow transport minister.

The book cites Qantas insiders who said Mr Albanese would liaise with Mr Joyce directly about his personal travel.

Six days after the allegations first surfaced, Mr Albanese denied ever personally asking a Qantas executive for an upgrade but has not ruled out a member of his staff doing it for him.

The Coalition also faced pressure over the issue, with Mr Dutton admitting his office asked mining magnate Gina Rinehart if he could use her private jet to attend a Bali bombing memorial service. Opposition transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie wrongly claimed she had never received an upgrade and is conducting an audit of her affairs in case she did not declare any gifts.

Education Minister Jason Clare on Sunday said he personally requested a flight upgrade in 2019, likely through a call to a government relations staff member.

“That was a personal trip. And that was a situation where I had just got out of hospital, I had surgery on my leg and I asked for (an) upgrade and I was assisted by Qantas,” Mr Clare told Sky News.

“I remember picking up the phone and asking for a bit of assistance there, but I can’t remember all of the details.

“I had a melanoma on my leg. I had to get it cut out. My family were overseas, I caught up with them as soon as I was allowed to.”

Independent senator David Pocock is open to backing a tightening of travel entitlements “especially when it comes to ministers and the industries they regulate”.

“He would also support a ban on soliciting free travel upgrades especially for personal travel,” his spokeswoman said. “Dave renounced his Chairman’s (Lounge) membership some time ago.”

Teal MP Allegra Spender said the ministerial code of conduct should be reviewed, and should apply to “both ministers and shadow ministers”.

“Special treatment at the discretion of companies and others who are regulated by government, or lobby for decisions, undermines public confidence in government,” she said. “The time has come for politicians to hold themselves to higher standards.”