Push to upgrade freebie Anthony Albanese to corruption watchdog

Anthony Albanese has been urged by Peter Dutton to refer himself to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, after the PM continued to dodge claims he asked former Qantas chief Alan Joyce for personal flight upgrades.

Anthony Albanese and former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce in August 2023.

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Anthony Albanese has been urged by Peter Dutton to refer himself to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, after the Prime Minister continued to dodge claims that he asked former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce for personal flight upgrades.

Mr Albanese on Tuesday invoked two Qantas publicity-related flights he travelled on in a selective defence of specific allegations he had received free upgrades from the airline at least 22 times, including in a personal capacity.

Despite revelations in The Australian that Mr Albanese had likely breached the ministerial code of conduct by soliciting and accepting Qantas perks during his time as transport minister and shadow transport minister, the Labor leader declared he had “been completely transparent” about all of his flights as a parliamentarian in a bid to deflect criticism.

The 61-year-old, who in 2023 travelled on a helicopter owned by billionaire transport mogul Lindsay Fox, attacked the Opposition Leader for flying on “private jets owned by billionaires like Gina Rinehart”.

Ramping up pressure on Mr Albanese, Mr Dutton seized on suggestions his political rival had likely breached ministerial guidelines under the Rudd and Gillard governments if he sought or encouraged any form of gift in a personal capacity.

Mr Dutton, who accused Mr Albanese of breaching ministerial rules, said the Prime Minister’s close relationship with Qantas, and the government’s decision to block a Qatar Airways application for additional flights, should be investigated by the NACC.

The political firestorm engulfing the government was sparked by The Chairman’s Lounge, Joe Aston’s new book highlighting the close links between the Prime Minister and Mr Joyce, which includes revelations that Mr Albanese received flight upgrades potentially worth thousands of dollars for personal trips to Honolulu, Europe and Los Angeles.

In the book, former Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker also accused Mr Joyce of using his relationship with Mr Albanese to block his carrier’s chances of getting more airport slots on the east coast.

“It was Alan Joyce blocking us by his relationship with the Prime Minister,” Mr Al Baker told Aston in the book.

“We never told anybody to wait for weeks or months to get your refund, or that we won’t give you a refund. We showed our commitment was not to swindle people, not to sell tickets on cancelled flights – in my country you’d go to jail for this.”

Asked if he had contacted Mr Joyce seeking flight upgrades, Mr Albanese said “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”.

“It was about an arrangement between Australia and the UAE that was held in Dubai, returned. Every other flight I paid for,” Mr Albanese said.

“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.”

Anthony Albanese during his press conference in Newcastle on Tuesday.

Mr Albanese – who is struggling to keep the government on message ahead of new inflation data released on Wednesday – also referenced a return flight to Britain with other federal and state politicians, marking the first flight non-stop from Australia to London.

“There’s no accusation being made with any specifics at all about any of this … none,” he said.

“I have said very clearly that I recall direct discussions with Alan Joyce over the flights, the Emirates or Qantas flight to Dubai and of course the first flight to Perth. They’re the only times that I was on a plane with Alan Joyce,” he said.

“Of the 22 flights, 10 of them were during the leadership ballot between myself and Bill Shorten in 2013 over a one-month period where both Qantas and Virgin provided upgrades for flights that were paid for by the Australian Labor Party to make sure that there wasn’t any cost to taxpayers for what was internal business.”

With Labor seeking to shift pressure on Coalition MPs who have accepted or sought flight upgrades, Mr Dutton called on the Prime Minister to refer himself to the NACC because “there are lots of questions about Mr Albanese’s credibility and his integrity in relation to the Qatar decision”.

“People in WA and people in the Northern Territory, in particular, are paying through the nose for airfares, in part because of the lack of competition, and there would be more competition in the market if Mr Albanese had taken a decision not to side with Qantas, but to decide that there should be more competition through allowing Qatar in,” Mr Dutton said.

“Nobody really could understand why the Prime Minister overrode the decision of Catherine King to allow Qatar in. If Qatar was in today, if Prime Minister Albanese hadn’t decided to support his mate Alan Joyce, I think we would find ourselves in a position where we have lower airfares today because there would be more competition.”

In response to Mr Dutton’s comments on the NACC, a spokeswoman for Mr Albanese said: “This has all been on the record for more than two decades. The latest suggestion from the Opposition Leader is a pathetic attempt at creating a headline.”

Opposition frontbenchers and MPs are being targeted by Labor for accepting flight upgrades and travel perks, with Mr Albanese launching attacks against Mr Dutton, opposition transport and infrastructure spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie and opposition manager of business Paul Fletcher. Mr Albanese said he had received significantly fewer upgrades than other MPs, including Mr Fletcher, who had notched 69 over his parliamentary career. Mr Fletcher said his flight upgrades had occurred on parliamentary travel and he had disclosed every upgrade on his register of interests.

Mr Albanese’s links to Qantas go beyond Mr Joyce, with his principal private secretary, David Epstein, working at the airline when the Prime Minister was transport and infrastructure minister.

Mr Epstein in 2008 was recruited by Qantas as government and corporate affairs group executive reporting directly to Mr Joyce, following a stint as chief-of-staff and principal adviser under former prime minister Kevin Rudd. The veteran political operative was drafted by Mr Albanese to work in the Prime Minister’s Office earlier this year.

Mr Albanese’s spokeswoman on Tuesday denied Mr Epstein was involved in facilitating flight upgrades. During his time as transport minister, Mr Albanese spoke with Mr Epstein in “occasional social encounters and after Mr Epstein left Qantas”.

Senator McKenzie said the “tentacles of Qantas seem to reach deep into government, including aviation regulatory agencies and now the office of the Prime Minister”.

Mr Epstein, who has worked for five Labor leaders including three prime ministers, was leading government relations at the airline during part of Mr Albanese’s tenure as transport and infrastructure minister between 2007 and 2013. At the time of his hiring by Qantas, former special minister of state John Faulkner said Mr Epstein provided written assurances that he understood his obligations of confidentiality with respect to government information and would not lobby on behalf of his employer for 12 months.

Placing the government under further scrutiny, The Daily Telegraph has reported that seven ministers and assistant ministers received upgrades in the months after Labor blocked Qatar from expanding into Australia.

Ahead of parliament returning next week, independent MPs and integrity experts have called for an end to politicians accepting gifts.

Centre for Public Integrity chair and former judge Anthony Whealy said it was inappropriate for any MP to be a member of the invitation-only Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.

“It’s a bad look. And I do not think any of them should belong to the Chairman’s Lounge, quite frankly, I think that’s just playing into Qantas’ hands. And I don’t think any of them should belong, either the teals or Labor or Liberals, I think they should give up perks like that because it is such a bad look,” he said.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said he was “deeply concerned” that any minister or shadow minister would receive “extra perks and privileges from any company over which they have authority or influence”.

“To be enjoying dozens of flight upgrades, accommodation and gifts is at best very poor judgment, or at worst misuse of office,” he said.

Teal MP Allegra Spender said it was not possible to know for sure if “special treatment” from companies had swayed cabinet ministers’ decisions but the allegations were “not a good look”.

“The ministerial code of conduct should be reviewed to rule out this special treatment for decision-makers, and apply to both ministers and shadow ministers,” she said.

“The time has come for politicians to hold themselves to higher standards.”

Independent ACT senator David Pocock said the revelations highlighted the need for a widespread review of standards for ministers and lobbyists.

“I think we should be actually reviewing the ministerial code of conduct, our lobbying laws, to say this is clearly a problem,” he said.

COALITION RAISES MINISTERIAL STANDARDS BREACH

The Coalition has accused Anthony Albanese of breaching the ministerial standards when he was transport minister for allegedly soliciting free Qantas upgrades, following revelations the codes of conduct that were in place at the time explicitly banned ministers from seeking or encouraging any form of gift in their personal capacity.

The standards of ministerial ethics released by Kevin Rudd in December 2007 and adopted by Julia Gillard in September 2010 state: “Ministers are required to exercise the functions of their public office unaffected by considerations of personal advantage or disadvantage.

“Ministers, in their official capacity, may therefore accept customary official gifts, hospitality, tokens of appreciation, and similar formal gestures in accordance with the relevant guidelines, but must not seek or encourage any form of gift in their personal capacity.

“Ministers must also comply with the requirements of the parliament and the prime minister relating to the declaration of gifts.”

Mr Albanese was transport minister under both Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard between December 2007 and September 2013.

The code states the prime minister can stand aside a minister if they consider their conduct breaches the standards.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie said without Mr Albanese clarifying whether he directly sought or was gifted the upgrades, there was now a prima facie breach of the code he was under.

“Every utterance of the Prime Minister creates more, not less, confusion about the personal and financial benefits he received from Qantas while transport minister,” Senator McKenzie said.

“This is up to the Prime Minister to assure the Australian public. This is a matter of trust. It’s also a matter of ministerial integrity. The allegations in Joe Aston’s book are that he actively solicited upgrades for himself and family members. Is it true, or isn’t it? So far despite two press conferences we don’t have an answer to that question.”

The Prime Minister’s office was contacted for comment.

Mr Albanese’s parliamentary registry for the 43rd parliament, when he was transport minister, shows he was “given an upgrade by Qantas” on his flights to and from Singapore on 5-8 June 2011.

On July 10 and July 31, 2011, he “accepted upgrades from Emirates travelling unofficially to and from Europe”.

In December 2012 there was a Qantas business class upgrade when Mr Albanese flew from Honolulu to Sydney.