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The furore over revelations that Anthony Albanese actively solicited luxury upgrades and other perks from Qantas chairman Alan Joyce, while Albanese was transport minister, is growing. And the PM is clearly rattled.
Anthony Albanese has returned fire at the Coalition following criticism in relation to the circumstances around personal Qantas flight upgrades, attempting to cast doubt around a broad range of Coalition figures and their flights.
For all his high dudgeon, though, Albanese is still dodging the essential question.
Mr Albanese did not explicitly rule out that he asked “Alan Joyce personally for these upgrades”.
The longer he avoids giving a definitive answer, the more it looks like he has something to hide. But if Albanese admits that he did solicit the Qantas chairman for luxury perks, at a time when he was making regulatory decisions that vastly benefited Qantas, the conflict of interest is beyond doubt.
By contrast, Albanese’s attempt to shoot the messenger are too-obviously weak and just plain false.
The author whose new book alleges that Anthony Albanese liaised with then-Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce about his personal travel, raising questions about Mr Albanese’s free flight upgrades, has hit back at the Prime Minister’s accusation the author failed to declare that he was a former Liberal Party staffer.
Joe Aston, a former Australian Financial Review columnist, shared a screenshot of his new book’s introduction which says he worked as a Liberal Party staffer.
Others are also pointing out that Alan Joyce blatantly used the exlusive Chairman’s Lounge membership – which only he had the power to approve or withdraw – as a political bludgeon.
Billionaire Clive Palmer has called for Qantas to abolish its controversial invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge saying it’s a “disgraceful perk used to reward or punish politicians”.
Mr Palmer’s own membership for the Chairman’s Lounge was rescinded in 2014, after he used his Senate power to block a bill seeking to end Qantas’ foreign ownership restrictions […]
Mr Palmer said the lounge proved that Australian politicians could be bought cheaply.
“The Chairman’s Lounge was used to reward or punish politicians based on vested interests,” he said.
As for Albanese, his entire ‘I used to dream o’ livin’ in a cardboard box’ routine is blown to smithereens, now that he’s been exposed as just another greedy, grubby politician on the make.
Albanese’s log cabin story as the “kid from public housing” has lost its shine, with voters now increasingly viewing the Prime Minister as a career politician who has amassed millions of dollars and a property portfolio headlined by a $4.3m clifftop oceanfront house.
While most don’t begrudge Albanese’s wealth, it’s difficult for the 61-year-old to shake off the fact that politicians of his generation enjoy lucrative perks including retiring on the old, generous parliamentary pension.
Who says most don’t begrudge his wealth? This is a bloke who’s spent all but two years of his adult life bludging on the taxpayer’s dime in politics. Now he’s a multimillionaire?
Some things just don’t pass the sniff test.
