Dutton let
fly at PM,
but his
own Rinehart freebies
will create
turbulence
Dutton let fly at PM, but his own Rinehart freebies will create turbulence
David Crowe
Chief political correspondent
October 31, 2024 — 4.47pm
October 31, 2024 — 4.47pm
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Nothing can offend an Australian voter quite like a politician who claims to
stand up for battlers while enjoying special favours from a wealthy elite. So
there should be no surprise that Anthony Albanese• Объект человек » Персоналии по алфавиту » Персоналии на Ал » Албаниз, Энтони is exposed to lasting damage
from days of questions about his Qantas flight upgrades and his contact with
the airline’s former boss, Alan Joyce.
But there should be no shock, either, that some of the bullets fired at the
prime minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии have ricocheted around and hit Peter Dutton instead. That is
what happened on Thursday when the opposition leader had to admit his office
asked for free flights from mining billionaire Gina Rinehart and her company,
Hancock Prospecting.
Illustration by Simon Letch Credit:
It is also what happened when the Coalition’s chief prosecutor against the
prime minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии, Nationals senate leader Bridget McKenzie. She said on Monday
she had not received an upgrade. She confirmed later that day she had received
one upgrade. Later in the week, she said she would check records to see if
there were more. Australians will conclude that the politicians are all as bad
as each other.
Federal politicians are now trapped like a group of pampered passengers on the
leather seats of an executive jet flying into a vast lake of mud. Parliament
resumes on Monday with all sides expecting a blame game about who had the most
egregious upgrade.
But the superficial politics are only part of this story. Yes, there is a
perception problem. What matters is the deeper question about personal
integrity. Did Albanese trade his integrity for a comfortable seat at the
front of the plane? Should voters worry that the prime minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии is corrupt• Борьба с коррупцией?
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Dutton has set this as the test. He said on Tuesday that Albanese should refer
himself to the National Anti-Corruption• Борьба с коррупцией Commission over the upgrades. That is
the moment when Dutton jumped the shark. Integrity experts such as Anthony
Whealy, a former NSW Supreme Court judge, say it is “fanciful” to treat this
as a matter for the NACC. More pointedly, barrister Geoffrey Watson says that
if Dutton thinks the upgrades should go to an inquiry, he should also refer
himself – because taking favours from a billionaire should qualify as well.
Before we go any further, it helps to be clear on the facts. An extract of The
Chairman’s Lounge by Joe Aston, published in Good Weekend on Saturday, listed
22 flight upgrades for Albanese over the period from 2009 to 2022. This is a
bigger number than many, but not all, federal politicians, so the issue is not
the number of flights. Everything turns on a single sentence in the book:
“According to Qantas insiders, Albanese would liaise with Joyce directly about
his personal travel.” Aston does not elaborate on phone calls or texts; he
does not say anything further about his source.
Albanese and his office took days to respond to that claim. Only on Wednesday
night did a spokeswoman issue a clear statement: “The prime minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии did not
ever call Alan Joyce seeking an upgrade.” Only on Thursday morning did the
office confirm that this also meant no texts, no emails and no contact of
other kinds to line up a benefit.
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Why did Albanese take so long to be clear? Because his staff spent several
days going through travel records, and checking diaries, to be sure he could
defend his statement in parliament. They calculated that Albanese has taken
about 6000 flights since being elected to parliament in 1996. Most of us could
remember if we asked for an upgrade, but we wouldn’t lose our jobs if we got
the detail wrong. The prime minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии cannot mislead parliament. If Albanese
gets this wrong, he will be under immense pressure. If Joyce or another former
Qantas executive one day reveals a text or email• Коммуникации » Интернет-коммуникации » Электронная почта, the PM is gone. So the
statement took time.
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Airline upgrades do not set Albanese apart from others. Dutton received a
Qantas upgrade last December for himself and his wife. The disclosure
documents in parliament are littered with cases like this.
Take the example of former prime minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии Tony Abbott• Объект человек » Персоналии по алфавиту » Персоналии на Эб » Эбботт, Тони. He told News Corp this
week he turned down a Qantas upgrade for his family when he was prime
minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии. But in the three years before he led the country, from 2010 to 2013,
he received several upgrades, including some for his wife. He disclosed them.
Abbott• Объект человек » Персоналии по алфавиту » Персоналии на Эб » Эбботт, Тони is a man of principle and conviction. The idea he would do a deal for
an upgrade is laughable: when Qantas wanted a debt guarantee in 2014, Abbott• Объект человек » Персоналии по алфавиту » Персоналии на Эб » Эбботт, Тони
turned it down. But the upgrades were and are commonplace. On flights,
Albanese is being held to a standard never applied to Abbott• Объект человек » Персоналии по алфавиту » Персоналии на Эб » Эбботт, Тони, the last prime
minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии to take power from opposition.
Keep in mind that Aston is right on the big theme. “This is a story about
power in the shadows ,” he says. He is revealing the cosy club of politicians
who enjoy the Chairman’s Lounge. Almost every federal politician is in this
club.
It will infuriate some Australians to see their politicians gain benefits
others are denied. But most politicians work long hours, with significant
stress, and suffer real pressure on their families. The lounge is hardly a
luxury retreat: after all, it is in an airport terminal.
And here is the essential question: where is the quid pro quo? Albanese
opposed Qantas when it grounded its fleet during an industrial dispute in
2011, sacked 1700 workers during the pandemic and hired contractors to replace
employees. Where is the evidence he went soft on Qantas because of flight
upgrades?
Albanese is also defending the “same job same pay” legislation that requires
Qantas to treat workers as employees rather than contractors. This costs the
airline money, so it wants it repealed. Dutton says he will repeal it. This is
the most glaring evidence that Albanese has not traded his integrity for a
cushy seat at the front of the plane.
Now consider the way Qantas has been shielded from competition. The Coalition
took years in government to decide whether Qatar Airways• Авиация » Гражданская авиация » Авиакомпания » Авиакомпании Катара » Qatar Airways should gain more
flights to and from Australia, before allowing seven more flights. Once in
government, Labor rejected a Qatar request for more flights. It favoured
Turkish Airlines• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Ту » Turkish Airlines instead, with about 28 more flights.
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The obvious fact is that both sides help Qantas at times. The airline was a
big recipient of JobKeeper money when the Coalition held power during the
pandemic. The Coalition also turned down a plea from Virgin Australia for a
bailout in 2020 – in other words, it sided with Qantas. On that question,
Albanese backed Virgin.
A little sunlight on the Chairman’s Lounge is no bad thing. But this is not
really about an airline club. It is about personal integrity and trust – for
Dutton, just as much as Albanese. The prime minister• Объект организация » Организации по алфавиту » Организации на Пр » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Австралия » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии
• Государство » Государственное устройство Австралии » Правительство Австралии » Премьер-министр Австралии denies asking the Qantas
boss for a favour. The opposition leader admits his office asked a mining boss
for a favour.
That means Dutton has questions to answer. What does Rinehart expect in return
for helping the opposition leader? When politicians attack each other, the
questions do not fly one way.
David Crowe is chief political correspondent.
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Премьер-министр Австралии Эбботт, Тони
Премьер-министр Австралии (2013/09/18-2015/09/15) организации Turkish Airlines соц_роль Премьер-министр Австралии
