Qantas CEO Alan Joyce puts money to work for Yes vote on marriage

Alan Joyce says he will pour a ‘significant amount’ of his own money into the campaign for marriage equality.

Alan Joyce has said he wants a ‘positive’ Yes campaign on same-sex marriage. Picture: John Feder

Qantas boss Alan Joyce has said he wants a “positive” Yes campaign on same-sex marriage after revealing he will pour a “significant amount” of his own money into the campaign for marriage equality.

As the country gears up for a nationwide postal survey on the issue, Mr Joyce said he would not comment on the amount of money he had committed to the campaign.

But asked where he wanted it spent he told The Weekend Aust­ralian: “I want it spent on a positive campaign­. There is a very positive case for marriage equality ... Unfortunatel­y, people are making it about other things but it is about a fair go and equality.’’

On the details of where it should be spent, he said he was happy to back the political expertise of those running the campaign. ‘’They are the right people to figure out where to put the ­resources,’’ Mr Joyce said.

He also said the Qantas board fully supported his position and that of the company.

“The board has been involved all the way through. I have the suppor­t of the board. We do act as a good corporate citizen on a range of social issues­ ... We have a social responsibility, and the board agrees with that. The board, especiall­y the chairman, have been very supportive.’’

Mr Joyce, who is openly gay, has been in a ­relationship with Shane Lloyd for more than 15 years, first spoke out in favour of marriage equality two years ago as the debate gathered momentum.

Earlier yesterday, while confirming that Qantas had made its second-highest profit in its 97-year history, Mr Joyce had said he would donate to the campaign.

“I personally will be donating money to the campaign, a significant amount, because I’m passionate about it,” said Mr Joyce, who was last year paid $8.4 million, including a $3.2m short term bonus.

He also said he was “personally disappointed” a decision had not been made in parliament and that “we shouldn’t get to the stage” where $122 million was spent on a postal vote. He warned that the nation­ had “fallen behind on progressive issues” and urged his counterparts in business to follow Qantas in being more outspoken on social issues. He said that if corporate Australia was to “fix” issues with its reput­ation, it needed to speak out more on social issues.

Backing this, the country’s largest technology company, Atlassian, said business needed to be more vocal on marriage equality.

Atlassian’s head of diversity Aubrey Blanche said the software firm would be a vocal supporter of the right for people to marry who they chose and said that corporate advocacy was important.

AMP chief executive Craig Meller also joined the fray. In an internal email seen by The Weekend Australian he said AMP supported amendments to the law to allow same-sex marriage.

Additional reporting: David Swan