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The Coalition plans to use Senate estimates this week to press senior bureaucrats on whether the Prime Minister had a hand in the decision to block additional Qatar Airways flights.
As reported in The Australian, Liberal Senators Richard Colbeck and Simon Birmingham last week sent a letter to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) secretary Glyn Davis advising him to be prepared for questions on PM Anthony Albanese’s ties to Qantas.
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The letter seen by the newspaper indicated Davis would be asked whether the PM or anyone from his office “interfered to protect Qantas”, including whether officials from PM&C met with Qantas or discussed Qatar’s application for more capacity before Transport Minister Catherine King made her decision to reject it, and whether the PM or his office made any instructions or opinions clear to Minister King regarding the application.
Qatar had asked the government for an extra 21 flights per week into Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, an application Minister King denied on “national interest” grounds.
“We note that some of these questions may require liaison between PM&C and the PMO, which is a key reason advance notice is being provided, along with copying this correspondence to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff,” the senators wrote.
The renewed focus on Qatar Airways comes as politicians from both parties face questions about free Qantas flight upgrades and other benefits.
PM Albanese last week denied personally asking for free upgrades that he had accepted from the Flying Kangaroo and said all were properly declared, though Liberal Senator Jane Hume has indicated she wants to know if the upgrades had any influence over his decision making including during his tenure as transport minister under the Gillard government.
“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,” Senator Hume 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.”
The opposition has itself come under the magnifying glass, with Peter Dutton questioned about a flight on mining billionaire Gina Rinehart’s private jet, while Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie last week admitted to having accepted and declared at least one upgrade herself.
“I don’t like to hold others to a standard I’m not prepared to subject to myself, I think that’s really important and I’ll be obviously updating declarations and MPs are doing that right now across the board on both sides,” Senator McKenzie told the Today show.
Qatar Airways last month announced its bid to take a 25 per cent stake in Virgin Australia in a deal that would see Virgin wet lease planes from the Gulf carrier for new services to Doha.
As the flights would be operated under the banner of an Australian carrier, they could effectively partially circumvent the restrictions under Australia’s bilateral air service agreements with Qatar, allowing up to another 28 flights per week between Doha and the major gateways.
