Peter Dutton questioned the arrangements involving Anthony Albanese, who was the opposition leader and transport minister, when he reportedly asked for free Qantas flights from Alan Joyce, the company’s CEO.
He noted that he didn’t recall other politicians requesting the same perks.
The opposition is now seeking to raise questions about the relationship between the Labor government and Qantas, which was highlighted by the former CEO’s controversial behavior.
Dutton noted that if an individual is the minister for transport, then they should not be asking for free flights.
Details about the incident emerged in the book “The Chairman’s Lounge,” which was written by Joe Aston, a former journalist for the Australian Financial Review.
According to the book, Albanese requested for free flights on around 20 occasions from 2009 to 2019. He also served as the opposition leader and the transport minister.
Some of the flights were reportedly referred to as personally funded. They were booked to various places, such as London, Honolulu, and Rome.
According to the reports, Qantas insiders claimed that Albanese would coordinate with Joyce regarding his personal travel.
On Sunday, Albanese dismissed the allegations, saying that the reports were made based on what was already declared.
Like other federal politicians, Dutton also declared his membership in the exclusive club of Qantas and Virgin Australia.
In December last year, he revealed that he received a free flight upgrade for his wife, Kirilly, on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney.
During a press conference, Dutton noted that he had not asked an airline official for a flight upgrade.
Dutton said it was strange for Albanese to approach the CEO of an airline while he was serving as the minister for transport or the opposition leader.
Although he supports the concept of declaring one’s interests, Dutton noted that it was still inappropriate for politicians to ask for free flights when they are also serving as the minister for transport.
He said he would expect the prime minister to answer questions about the issue. Despite his acknowledgement that he occasionally requested upgrades, Dutton said he still took up to 190 flights annually.