October 29th 2024.
Anthony Albanese, the current Prime Minister, has recently received criticism for allegedly accepting free upgrades from Qantas, worth thousands of dollars. These accusations were made by former columnist Joe Aston in his book, The Chairman's Lounge. According to Aston, Albanese had received more than 20 free upgrades from the airline, including during his time as the transport minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments.
In response to these claims, Albanese addressed the media in Newcastle and emphasized that he had always been transparent about his flights and upgrades. He also denied any inappropriate behavior and stated that he had only had discussions with former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce about free upgrades on two occasions, both of which were related to business trips. One such trip was on an A380 to Dubai, which was arranged by the Australian and UAE governments. Albanese clarified that this was a non-commercial flight and was declared appropriately.
Albanese also mentioned another trip from Perth to London on the first direct flight, where he was accompanied by other ministers. He stressed that all of these flights and upgrades had been declared and that he had only ever had direct discussions with Joyce on two occasions. The Prime Minister also pointed out that 10 out of the 22 upgraded flights mentioned in Aston's book, which were allegedly taken by both Albanese and former opposition leader Bill Shorten in 2013, were paid for by the Labor Party for internal business matters.
Albanese then addressed the criticism from opposition leader Peter Dutton, accusing him of being "obsessed" with trying to discredit him. He stated that Dutton had a habit of being arrogant and nasty, and that he and Dutton were different because Dutton had received flights on private jets, while Albanese had only flown commercially with Qantas, Virgin, and Emirates. He also clarified that his financial arrangements were completely transparent and that he did not have any family trust or shares in any company.
In response to claims that he was the most frequently upgraded parliamentarian, Albanese pointed out that shadow communications minister Paul Fletcher had 69 declared flights, despite being in parliament for a shorter time than Albanese. He concluded by saying that he had nothing to hide and that all of his flights and upgrades had been declared appropriately.
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