Anthony Albanese is feeling the heat for accepting and allegedly soliciting free upgrades from Qantas, but the airline industry’s influence on politics extends far beyond the Prime Minister.

Open Politics data shows at least 32 politicians from across the political spectrum have accepted free upgrades and flights from airlines in this term of Parliament.

Senior Labor figures including Andrew Leigh, Madeleine King and Andrew Giles, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and shadow minister for communications David Coleman, have all accepted free upgrades from Qantas.

Clancy Moore, CEO of Transparency International Australia, said that government or opposition MPs accepting preferential treatment from big business raises alarm bells, particularly when they “also have the role of regulating these businesses, such as the case with Qantas”.

“Even when these gifts or upgrades are disclosed, they can cast a shadow over elected officials’ independence and erode public trust in government decisions,” he said.

“Coupled with the potent influencing cocktail of political donations, powerful industry associations and opaque lobbying, these practices can lead to undue influence on policy making.”

Journalist Joe Aston revealed in his book The Chairman’s Lounge that Albanese had personally lobbied former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce for free upgrades during his time as transport minister.

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It sparked the controversy about gifts and flight upgrades.

Qantas offers every federal politician access to the Chairman’s Lounge, an exclusive invitation-only club where the business and political elite can enjoy privacy and a host of other perks.

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Parliamentary pushback

Andrew Wilkie, independent MP for Clark, has long been a campaigner for improving transparency in politics.

“I am deeply concerned that any minister or shadow minister would receive extra perks and privileges from any company over which they have authority or influence,” he said in a statement to The New Daily. 

“To be enjoying dozens of flight upgrades, accommodation and gifts is at best very poor judgment, or at worst misuse of office.”

Wilkie has declared he receives “occasional” upgrades and lounge access from Qantas, but his office did not respond when asked why he does not declare specific upgrades.

David Pocock, the independent senator for the ACT, said on Tuesday he is not a member of Qantas’ Chairman’s Lounge.

Max Chandler-Mather from the Greens and Labor senator Tony Sheldon have never had membership, while Monique Ryan, Stephen Bates, Elizabeth Watson-Brown and Barbara Pocock quit in 2023 after it was revealed Albanese’s son had a membership.

He said that lobbying laws in Australia are “useless”, “shocking” and “incredibly loose”.

“The definition of a lobbyist is such that the Qantas-government relationship isn’t lobbying, they just happen to lobby the government on policy,” he said.

“Qantas executives get sponsored passes from both sides of politics.”

Pocock said politicians will admit that it is a poor look to be accepting gifts from Qantas, while failing to declare specific and individual upgrades.

“Every time the crossbench in the Senate pushes on more lobbying transparency and ministerial diaries, the major parties team up and defeat the motion or bill,” he said.

“We have lobbying laws in this country that are incredibly loose by international standards and neither major party wants to update them.”

Qantas was the centre of controversy when Transport Minister Catherine King blocked Qatar Airways’s proposal for extra international flights to and from Australia earlier in the year.

Opposition in disarray

Coalition figures have found it difficult to attack the PM, with the ABC revealing that Bridget McKenzie, the architect of ‘Sportsrorts’, had failed to declare free flights to campaign on behalf of her colleague Barnaby Joyce.

When Dutton attended mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s birthday party on the eve of the Dunkley byelection earlier in the year, it was taxpayers who footed the bill for his security detail.

Moore said although there are limits on what the Prime Minister, ministers, their families and ministerial and electorate staff are allowed to accept as gifts, they shouldn’t accept any if that could create a conflict of interest.

“No matter the official rules, MPs should also make sure any acceptance of gifts or benefits passes the pub test,” he said.

“It’s clear they should not accept gifts or donations from big business where they have a direct portfolio or committee responsibility to regulating those sectors.”

– TND