‘Public trust’: Push to purge pollie travel perks

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese’s relationship with former Qantas boss Alan Joyce is under fire. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Independent MPs are cancelling their VIP lounge memberships in a push to purge politicians of their travel perks.

Allegra Spender led the charge on Monday, calling out both Labor and the Coalition for enjoying favours from airlines while not boosting competition in Australia’s aviation industry.

“It’s time to end the upgrades,” the teal MP for the Sydney seat of Wentworth said.

“Special treatment of politicians by Qantas and Virgin has undermined public trust in government and effective competition in the aviation industry.

“All sides of politics enjoy the perks and both major parties have failed to bring increased competition and lower fares to Australian travellers.

“Both the Labor and Liberal parties have blocked greater competition by Qatar Airways.”

Ms Spender said she would write to Qantas and Virgin requesting they refuse “free upgrades to any MPs or Senators.”

PRESS CLUB Allegra Spender
Independent MP Allegra Spender says politicians’ perks are eroding ‘public trust’. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman
INDEPENDENTS PRESSER
Independent MP Helen Haines is also cancelling her Qantas VIP lounge membership. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

She added that she would cancel the VIP lounge memberships with both carriers that she received upon entering parliament.

All federal MPs and senior public servants are given access to the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.

“Parliamentarians should not be taking free upgrades from Qantas or Virgin,” Ms Spender said.

“Airlines work in a highly regulated environment which is subject to government policy and

ministerial decisions.

“The public is understandably losing trust in politicians to make those decisions impartially when they’re being given free upgrades from the companies they’re supposed to regulate.

“The best way to restore public trust is to simply end the upgrades.”

Western Australian teal independent Kate Chaney has also written to Qantas to relinquish her Chairman’s Lounge membership.

The WA MP has told the ABC despite the long trips between Perth and Canberra, she’d rather retain trust with her community than keep the perks.

Independent MP Allegra Spender has called on airlines to “stop offering” flight upgrades for politicians. Mr Spender has declared she will end her membership in Qantas’ Chairman’s Lounge and Virgin’s Beyond Lounge. She has also called for MPs to stop being given free flight upgrades. “What I’m trying to say right now is I think it’s really important that people feel that their politicians … are making decisions in the best interest of their communities … not in the interest of any perks or benefits that they get,” Ms Spender told Sky News Australia. “I’ve called on the major parties and the airlines … [for] all politicians to say no more to any upgrades, personal and business, and the airlines stop offering it.”

Independent MP Helen Haines has told NewsWire she is also cancelling her VIP lounge memberships.

“I have contacted Qantas and Virgin to cancel my membership of the Chairman’s Lounge and the Beyond Lounge,” she said.

“Acceptance of airline lounge membership is a matter for each individual member of Parliament, but I wanted to remove any possibility of an actual or perceived conflict of interest in my work as a member of parliament.

“The reality that airlines offer these kinds of perks because ultimately they want to get something in return does not sit well with me and I want to continue to contribute to creating a culture of transparency and accountability through my actions as well as my words.”

PM vague on staff question

Anthony Albanese has failed to rule out whether his staff requested free flight upgrades for him, amid claims he solicited them himself from ex-Qantas boss Alan Joyce.

The Prime Minister has vehemently denied speaking directly to Mr Joyce about upgrades, but a growing number of government and Qantas insiders have told media Mr Albanese secured free upgrades indirectly, including through the airline’s government affairs division.

Asked on ABC radio if his staff had requested free upgrades for him, Mr Albanese could not rule it out.

“Not to my knowledge, no,” he said

“We have a situation whereby politicians across the board got upgrades. That was because of the way that the system works.”

He said he had been “upfront” on the issue.

“Everything has been declared, and I’ve had no upgrades as Prime Minister,” Mr Albanese said.

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) is weathering claims he solicited free flight upgrades from ex-Qantas boss Alan Joyce (right). Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

The opposition has said it would use senate estimates this week to poke and prod bureaucrats over an Albanese government decision to block Qatar Airways from running extra flights in Australia.

Senior Coalition Senator Jane Hume said there were questions to be answered on whether Mr Albanese’s ties to Qantas influenced the decision.

“The issue here is about soliciting upgrades when you are in a position of influence over an industry and that’s exactly what Anthony Albanese did when he was transport minister,” the opposition finance spokeswoman told Sky News.

“He solicited upgrades and gifts not just for himself but also for his family members and this is while he was in a position to make decisions about the airline industry that would affect all Australians.”

SENATE CFMEU
Coalition senator Jane Hume says there are questions to answer about the Albanese government’s decision to block Qatar running extra flights in Australia. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Her latest comments followed a week dominated by fiery exchanges between the Albanese government and the opposition, with both sides accusing the other of getting travel perks through dodgy dealings.

Education Minister Jason Clare admitted on Sunday that he requested a free flight upgrade in 2019 after he had a cancer cut out of his leg.

Mr Clare said he “probably” made the request through Qantas’ government relations team.

“What we want to know in this week’s senate estimates is whether those decisions, whether that benefit that Anthony Albanese received back when he was transport minister had an influence over his decision to deny Qatar Airways an additional 21 slots at Sydney and Melbourne airports that would have increased competition in the airline industry and reduced prices for all Australians,” Senator Hume said.

Parliamentarians on both sides have been scrambling to get their declarations in order before the House of Representatives this week amid the heightened scrutiny sparked by the claims against Mr Albanese.

Coalition senator Bridget McKenzie, who has led the opposition’s charge against Mr Albanese, confirmed herself last week that she was probing her own travel records.

Meanwhile, expenses data showed Peter Dutton billed taxpayers $200,000 for chartered flights in the space of six months despite having cheaper viable options.