Anthony Albanese’s Qantas word salad in train wreck press conference

Anthony Albanese at his press conference in Newcastle.

The cracks in Anthony Albanese’s glass jaw are splintering as he desperately looks for scapegoats and blames others for his own actions in defending accusations over Qantas upgrades and VIP treatment.

Albanese was visibly rattled in a train-wreck press conference on Tuesday where he rambled and sought to muddy the waters.

The Prime Minister’s word salad performance was an exercise is trying to discredit a journalist, make it seem like every other politician accepts the same freebies and attack Peter Dutton.

After almost 29 years in parliament, Albanese should have been better prepared. The press conference continued a run of performances, including mixed messages over Treasury modelling on negative gearing, that will spook marginal Labor MPs ahead of next year’s federal election.

Joe Aston, journalist and author of The Chairman’s Lounge who has broken a series of revelations about Albanese’s relationship with former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, was targeted by the Labor leader in a “shoot-the-messenger” attack.

“I’d just make the point as well, that the person who is trying to sell a book, and fair enough, I don’t see declarations that he’s a former Liberal Party staffer for a number of senior members of the Liberal Party, including Joe Hockey and Bruce Baird,” Albanese said.

“I don’t see declarations that he’s a former Qantas employee.”

The claim is wrong.

Aston’s LinkedIn page lists his full CV, including two years working at Qantas, and brief stints in the offices of Hockey and Baird. The Chairman’s Lounge also includes references to Aston’s time working in Baird’s office.

On social media platform X, Aston shot back at the PM: “It is disclosed on the first line of the first page of the book, and has never been a secret … this is beyond desperate from the PM.”

It is disclosed on the first line of the first page of the book, and has never been a secret. This is beyond desperate from the PM. pic.twitter.com/nDeisDIym3

— Joe Aston (@mrjoeaston) October 29, 2024

Addressing the 22 Qantas flight upgrades in question, which don’t cover all upgrades Albanese has received since entering parliament in 1996, the Prime Minister didn’t rule out that for some he had personally discussed them with Joyce but pressed critics to present “specifics”.

“Qantas have a number in terms of bookings that are private bookings, and in terms of the only discussions that I can recall with Alan Joyce, certainly we discussed, not through calls, we discussed the first flight from Australia to Dubai on an A380,” he said.

“I might note as well, that the Today Show, Sunrise, was full of media, these were not commercial flights. They were all recording and doing interviews on the way, Kerri-Anne Kennerley was there in Dubai along with other people from The Project.

“Every other flight I paid for, every other flight, these were two non-commercial flights that were declared in which transport ministers and shadow ministers travelled as well. It’s as simple as that, it’s very transparent out there, I’ve declared everything in accordance with all of the rules.”

After accusing the media of taking freebies, Albanese pivoted to a political spray on Dutton, Bridget McKenzie and Paul Fletcher for accepting upgrades and having “access to a private jet on call”.

“I don’t have a family trust, I don’t have any shares, I’ve never had any shares in any company, I have always acted in an open and transparent way and it’s up to others to say why it is that they have trusts, why it is that we don’t know what they own, what they invest in, what income they have, all hidden away, I have not done that.

“And in my time in public life, I have acted with integrity.”

After demanding more details on Qantas accusations coming his way, Albanese proceeded to spray political bullets at Coalition MPs filled with innuendo and ambiguity.