{"id":30477,"date":"2023-08-02T23:05:06","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T15:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/?p=30477"},"modified":"2023-10-28T02:24:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T18:24:11","slug":"alan-joyce-puts-albos-son-in-qantas-chairmans-lounge-joe-aston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/alan-joyce-puts-albos-son-in-qantas-chairmans-lounge-joe-aston\/","title":{"rendered":"Alan Joyce puts Albo\u2019s son in Qantas Chairman\u2019s Lounge – Joe Aston"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/h1>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget that Anthony Albanese has been in Canberra for a very long time. Entitlement to largesse is a lifelong practice.<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n


\nThe recent decision by the Albanese government to block Qatar Airways from launching 28 new flights per week between Doha and Australia has caused quiet amazement in the corridors of Parliament House.<\/span><\/p>\n

Transport Minister Catherine King\u2019s clarification last week elevated the matter to high farce. She insisted the decision was not related to a human rights incident at Doha Airport in 2020 and instead linked it to her desire \u201cto decarbonise the transport sector\u201d. That was such an arrant non sequitur that the only rational response was laughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Anthony Albanese and his son Nathan – Alex Ellinghausen<\/cite><\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe dazzling irony is that King offered this implausible explanation for yet another government measure fortifying Qantas\u2019 market power as she stood in London touring Britain\u2019s high-speed rail lines \u2013 a mode of travel Qantas\u2019 lobbying machine has successfully obstructed in Australia for at least the past 30 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is genuinely difficult to fathom<\/span> the hold Qantas seems to have over this government<\/span><\/a>. Air fares are at record highs (and a key factor in high inflation) while customer service levels are recovering from record lows.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the year to June 30, 2022, the Australian Competition and Consumer Competition received more complaints about Qantas than any other company \u2013 the airline blamed COVID-19 disruption but claimed \u201cthings have improved and we are getting Qantas back to its best\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Breaking news: the ACCC told this column on Wednesday that Qantas remained the most complained about company in Australia in the year to June 30, 2023!<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet King forced the ACCC to discontinue its airline monitoring program in June by refusing to extend its funding. It\u2019s scandalous, but it\u2019s only in keeping with the long tradition of every Australian government indulging Qantas to an immoderate extent. If there\u2019s any evidence to the contrary, please show it to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be understood, all of this must be viewed through the lens of Anthony Albanese<\/strong>\u2019s incredibly tight relationship with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce<\/strong>, a bond that jars so badly with Albo\u2019s misty-eyed working-class origin story.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Australian company has in recent years done more to bleed mug punters and even its own workers? Qantas illegally sacked 1700 baggage handlers in November 2020 (all while sucking back $2.7 billion of non-recourse government COVID-19 subsidies). An appeal was heard in May by the High Court, where every presiding justice is a member of the Chairman\u2019s Lounge.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tinpot republics<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Speaking of the Chairman\u2019s Lounge, which comfortably<\/span> generates the highest return on invested capital in the entire Qantas Group<\/a>,<\/span> you would not believe who has earned himself access to the pleasures hidden behind its discreet entrance. None other than the prime minister\u2019s 23-year-old son, Nathan Albanese<\/strong>. It\u2019s the stuff tinpot African republics are made of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone knows Joyce personally curates the Chairman\u2019s Lounge membership list. Did Qantas offer this extravagant benefit to Albanese or did Albanese request it for his son? When asked this week, neither the airline nor the Prime Minister\u2019s Office would explain. But did any of them really think a university student sweeping into the Chairman\u2019s Lounge like a lord wouldn\u2019t stand out like dog\u2019s balls?<\/span><\/p>\n

Albanese has never disclosed Nathan\u2019s membership in his statement of registrable interests with the parliament. The PM might argue it\u2019s not required if his son is not technically a dependent (although the Labor leader did say in 2022 that \u201cWe\u2019re close, we live together\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

Irrespective of the sophistry relied upon, his son has received this benefit only because of his father\u2019s position. It should be declared, especially by the guy who was elected on an integrity platform. Ask yourself: would Ben Chifley<\/strong> have done this?<\/span><\/p>\n

Otherwise, where does it end? Should young Nathan get an unlimited balance in his SportsBet account or perhaps a discount from Meriton on his first apartment, all beyond our line of sight?<\/span><\/p>\n

I have sympathy for Nathan. This is not even about him. This is about the prime minister\u2019s inability to resist a secret freebie, a sly gratuity of public office, or to grasp how compromised he looks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Albanese was regulating Qantas as transport minister for six years in the Rudd and Gillard governments. What other favours might Qantas have done him (or those close to him) that he felt were unnecessary to declare?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/div>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget Albo has been in Canberra for a very long time. Entitlement to largesse is a lifelong practice. He will barely have opened his own wallet in 30 years. Yet, he\u2019s no worse than the next institutionalised MP, just one inhabitant of a swamp full of chancers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember, it always starts small. It\u2019s the little favours. Please, let the valet take your car. Only the best table in the house. Don\u2019t worry, I know a guy. We\u2019ll make your problem disappear. Before you know it, it\u2019s become normal for your family to be ushered through airports like royalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is what ultimately comes from public officials accepting gifts from Qantas, an industrial-scale, multi-generational influence peddler. They are better than the mafia.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is how they do it, and why Qantas gets whatever it wants from government, whenever it wants it. It\u2019s why no matter how poorly the company treats Australian voters, the officials that voters depend upon to keep the company accountable can be depended upon to look the other way. <\/span>Alan Joyce puts Albo\u2019s son in Qantas Chairman\u2019s Lounge – Joe Aston – AFR<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/h2>\n

Related<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

What wouldn\u2019t Anthony Albanese do for Qantas?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Alan Joyce has Canberra all figured out<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bonus grifting supplement<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

German government opposes Lufthansa executive bonuses<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

While the ALP ramps up its calls for the government to throw vastly more public money at the failed Virgin Australia, <\/span>key front benchers are found to have failed to disclose tens of thousands of dollars of gifts from the foreign-owned airline. <\/span>Virgin is throwing $1 million a year or more at politicians and public servants – who\u2019s looking after the taxpayers? Anthony Klan<\/strong><\/a> (April 22, 2020)<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" Virgin Australia considers going into administration as Labor calls for government rescue<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n


\nShadow transport minister Catherine King and shadow assistant treasurer Stephen Jones have been forced to disclose tens of thousands of dollars worth of free memberships they received to the ultra exclusive, top-tier airport lounges run by Virgin Australia and Qantas.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the ALP further ramps up its calls for taxpayer money to be used to bail out Virgin, which was swept into administration yesterday, we can reveal both King and Jones have updated parliamentary records to disclose having received the highly valuable \u201cgifts\u201d,<\/span> following an investigation by Michael West Media<\/em><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t
Unlike business class lounges, where executives mingle before flights, if you\u2019re a member of Virgin\u2019s The Club, you can turn up whenever you like – it matters not whether you are actually flying.<\/span><\/p>\n

And you can bring along two mates – three if you do happen to be flying that day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only the best foods that money can buy are served – meals cooked up specially by renowned chefs – and while you\u2019re eating to your heart\u2019s content, you can quaff away on some of the world\u2019s finest wines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aged whisky? Port? A few boutique brews? You got it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t want to get a cab home from the airport? Don\u2019t worry! Now you\u2019re one of us, a VIP limousine will pick you up.<\/span><\/p>\n

And none of it will cost you a cent. – <\/span>The Club: will Virgin Australia\u2019s political influence deliver taxpayer subsidies for its foreign shareholders?<\/span><\/a> by Anthony Klan – Michael West News <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

It also appears opposition leader Anthony Albanese has failed to disclose many years of complimentary memberships to Virgin\u2019s top-tier secretive lounges, known as \u201cThe Club\u201d, as well as free memberships to its rival\u2019s equivalent, The Qantas Chairman\u2019s Lounge.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“The Born to Rules” lead privileged lives and don’t face the same consequences for their actions<\/a><\/span> as we do. Blatant bribery to obtain favourable policy decisions, is considered a perk by “our betters”. Donations that garner a massive Return on Investment<\/a><\/span> are commonplace, as are the jobs with corporations after politics<\/a><\/span>.  <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Labor leader Anthony Albanese charged taxpayers $17,269 to stay in his own Canberra flat<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has refused to ban MPs from claiming a $291-a-night allowance to stay in their own apartment in Canberra if elected, a practice that has allowed scores of MPs to pay off their mortgages.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MPs paid thousands to stay in their own homes under travel allowance rules<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Labor leader Anthony Albanese claimed $17,169 in travel allowance from taxpayers to stay at his mortgage-free Canberra apartment for 59 nights during Sydney\u2019s marathon lockdown while staging \u201cguerilla\u201d campaign missions into Queensland and Tasmania.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  It\u2019s easy to forget that Anthony Albanese has been in Canberra for a very long time. Entitlement to largesse is a lifelong practice. The recent decision by the Albanese government to block Qatar Airways from launching 28 new flights per week between Doha and Australia has caused quiet amazement in the corridors of Parliament […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":31453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,301,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australias-move-to-the-right","category-corruption","category-political-issues"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}