‘Pub teast’: PM slammed over Qantas freebies

Anthony Albanese has been accused of ‘gold-plating’ private holidays with Qantas freebies involving flight upgrades worth tens of thousands of dollars when he was transport minister.

Author Joe Aston, a former columnist with the Australian Financial Review writes in his new book The Chairman’s Lounge that Mr Albanese received tens of thousands of dollars worth of free flights from Qantas through a direct communication line with former CEO Alan Joyce.

Despite the Prime Minister’s insistence that the upgrades were declared as required – although the parliamentary register does not require an exact estimate of the cash value of the upgrades – Barnaby Joyce has weighed in this morning warning that if he personally solicited the freebies that puts it in a whole new category.

“A lot of people that fly generally get offered upgrades and take them. We all do that,” Mr Joyce told Sunrise.

“It’s a difference when you solicit it. When you ring up Alan Joyce and say, ‘Alan I would like an upgrade. My name is Anthony Albanese.’ That’s the one that doesn’t pass the pub test.”

The row over the freebies has prompted calls to Mr Albanese to release a complete log of every upgrade and perk he has ever received from Qantas – information that news.com.au understands is held and archived by the airline.

It follows long-standing suggestions he personally lobbied to have his son Nathan declared his ‘plus one’ for membership of the exclusive Chairman’s Lounge, an invitation only lounge membership that’s a step above the business class lounge.

“According to multiple senior Qantas sources, who requested not to be named, soon after Albanese became prime minister in 2022, he asked Joyce to make his son Nathan a member, too. What was Joyce supposed to say,” Mr Aston wrote in the extract.

While Mr Albanese has acknowledged he accepted upgrades, he maintained he has always acted openly and transparently by declaring the travel perks.

“Every single thing has been declared, which is why it’s been reported on. And it is appropriate that those declarations occur,” Mr Albanese said on Sunday.

“From time to time, members of parliament receive upgrades. What’s important is that they are declared. All of mine have been declared,” Mr Albanese said.

But Mr Aston said disclosing airline upgrades did not make taking them acceptable.

“In the end, Albanese was transport minister and had personal discretion over what airlines could fly into Australia, and how often, as he was soliciting freebies from the CEO of a national airline. That’s the bottom line. If that’s within the rules, the rules are broken,’’ he said.

“As for the Chairman’s Lounge membership of his son, the Prime Minister’s explanation is misleading at best. While his marriage ended in January 2019, Albanese only asked for (and received) a Chairman’s Lounge membership for his son much later. Also, Albanese’s fiance is his plus one to the Chairman’s Lounge, not his son.”

Granting access to First Class lounges around the world, the perks include free fine dining, booze, priority check-in, security screening and boarding.

Chairman’s Lounge members can select any available seat on Qantas-operated flights from the time of booking. This includes row 1 in Boeing 737 Business and row 4 in Boeing 737 Economy, along with exit row seating at no charge.

In some other lounges, such as the Brisbane International Lounge, there’s a secret Champagne kept at the bar for VIP travellers, such as Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut.

Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite defended the arrangements on Sky News Australia on Monday insisting that the upgrades had been “disclosed in accordance with the relevant regulations”.

“They were all on the public record … anyone could look up the members’ interests that are on the parliamentary website and see that,” he said.

“The important thing to realise is that the Prime Minister has been in parliament for close to thirty years and a lot of that time he’s been the Labor Party’s spokesperson on transport and infrastructure.

“He’s developed a close working relationship with not only Qantas but with Virgin and other competitors. The important thing is that the Labor Party is committed to increasing competition within our aviation sector.

“I think he’s the prime minister. What we need to realise is that this is an invitation that’s put out by Qantas, Virgin and other airlines.”

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was forced to defend the arrangements on Sunrise.

“All of these were declared and all of these were declared over many years. This has been on the public record the whole time,” she said.

“He has a good relationship with all the airlines. I don’t know what … I have only seen what’s in the paper.

“The Prime Minister explained himself very well. He did a press conference yesterday. There will be plenty of other media commentary today. I will leave it to him.”

Employment Minister Murray Watt bizarrely warned the Liberal Party that they should be carefully about raising the issue because they had accepted plenty of upgrades too.

“I really would wonder whether it’s wise for the opposition to start calling this kind of stuff into question,’’ he said.

“If you have a look at Peter Dutton’s behaviour, for example, several upgrades from Qantas and other airlines.

“He’s had free flights paid for by Gina Rinehart, who we know has influence over the coalition and the policy direction it takes,” Senator Watt said.