Friends in high places: Albanese and Alan Joyce’s association of more than a decade, in pictures
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and former Qantas chief Alan Joyce go way back. See the pictures of their years-long relationship.
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Anthony Albanese and Alan Joyce’s relationship goes years back, with the pair consistently photographed well before Mr Albanese’s ascent to Prime Minister.
The association has lasted through Mr Albanese’s roles as Transport Minister under the former Labor government, as Opposition leader and then as Prime Minister.
More than a decade ago, in 2013, then-Transport Minister Mr Albanese posed with the then-Qantas chief executive at the launch of a Qantas and Emirates partnership.
Two years later, the pair were photographed sitting together and chatting at the National Press Club in Canberra.
Mr Joyce and Mr Albanese also posed together alongside West Australian Premier Mark McGowan in 2018 at the launch of Qantas’s direct flights between Perth and London.
The year after, in 2019, Mr Albanese and then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison posed with Mr Joyce at the Qantas Centenary launch.
More recently, in 2023, Mr Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon posed with Mr Joyce at the airline’s 100th Gala Diner in March, before the Prime Minister joined Mr Joyce again for a press conference in June.
Two months later, in August, Mr Albanese and Mr Joyce announced Qantas was displaying Yes23 livery on its planes in support of the government’s pursuit of the Voice referendum.
Scrutiny over the pair’s relationship also surfaced when the Albanese government rejected an expansion bid from Qatar Airways.
The Coalition used Mr Albanese’s long-running association with Mr Joyce to claim it was a “sweetheart deal” to help Qantas.
In a resurfaced tweet from 2018, Mr Albanese tagged the airline saying “I will speak to @Qantas” when a punter asked him to stop in Tennant Creek on his way to Darwin.
Redbridge pollster Kos Samaras said Mr Albanese was taking an electoral risk by associating with the Qantas brand.
“Qantas as a brand has been on the downward trajectory for several years,” he said.
“Alan Joyce turned what was quite a successful brand into one that was quite toxic by the end of his tenure.”
Mr Samaras said allegations that Mr Albanese solicited flight upgrades from Mr Joyce directly could be damaging to his relatable brand ahead of an election.
“He is being so closely associated with access to privilege which the average Australia is completely removed from,” he said.
“The lived experience of the vast majority of Australians is very different to that.
“Albanese has now attached himself to this brand.”
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