Australia PM Albanese denies directly asking ex-Qantas CEO for upgrades
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Australian PM Anthony Albanese has said he declared all upgrades, as well as his Chairman’s Lounge membership.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SYDNEY – Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied personally calling former Qantas Airways boss Alan Joyce to ask for flight upgrades, as a growing scandal over free perks provided by the national carrier threatens to engulf his government.
Mr Albanese was accused in a book by former Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston of personally contacting Mr Joyce to ask for perks and receiving more than a dozen free upgrades.
Since the story broke, the Prime Minister has said he declared all upgrades, as well as his Chairman’s Lounge membership.
In a statement on Oct 31, Mr Albanese’s office went further and denied he had contacted Mr Joyce for perks.
“The Prime Minister did not ever call Alan Joyce seeking an upgrade,” a spokesperson said. “All travel has been appropriately declared and is a matter of public record.”
Local media reported that Mr Albanese had also denied texting or e-mailing Mr Joyce, or Qantas’ government relations representative, to request free flight upgrades.
The airline did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment on the claim that Mr Albanese solicited upgrades directly from Mr Joyce.
According to a Sky News report on Oct 31, Mr Albanese had a dedicated contact at Qantas who handled his flight upgrades.
Qantas did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on the latest report.
The scandal has dominated Australia’s media in recent days, causing a re-examination of the free perks that are provided to politicians by Qantas.
Many Australian lawmakers and some senior government officials are given free access to Qantas’ invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge, described by Mr Joyce as “probably the most exclusive club in the country”.
Even Mr Paul Brereton, commissioner of Australia’s new federal National Anti-Corruption Commission, was gifted a membership by the airline in October 2023, according to the body’s gift and benefits register.
The accusations come as Mr Albanese is struggling to convince voters that he is tackling a national cost-of-living crisis, sparked by high inflation, a housing shortage and interest rates at a 12-year high.
A Newspoll published in mid-October found Mr Albanese’s centre-left Labor government was trailing the Liberal-National opposition for the first time since coming to office in May 2022. BLOOMBERG
