Peter Dutton has hit out at Anthony Albanese over claims around Qantas upgrades during his time as transport minister.
The PM has been accused of personally calling former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce to receive the free upgrades for himself and his family in a book published by ex-Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston.
The prime minister said he had never acted inappropriately and had declared every flight and upgrade he received.
He denied ever having discussions with Joyce about free upgrades aside from two occasions, which he said were business-related trips – one on a non-commercial flight.
In response to the reports, the Leader of the Opposition said the PM should ‘refer himself to the National Anti-Corruption Commission’ and labelled the claims as a breach of the code of conduct.
“The Prime Minister has breached that, by his own admission,” Dutton said of the code of conduct Albanese followed while Transport Minister under the Gillard government.
“Sometimes people inadvertently don’t declare something, or there’s a mistake with paperwork or whatever, that’s not what happened here.”
Dutton said the PM needs to explain the situation to the Australian people.
He also accused Albanese of not keeping his story straight.
“He was transport minister and he picked the phone the phone up tot he CEO of Qantas to get upgrades, some of which it seems were declared and others not,” he added.
“This is an issue Mr Albanese needs to explain. His story keeps changing.”
Dutton made the remarks while addressing the media in Western Australia today after Albanese spoke about the free flight upgrades earlier in Newcastle.
A frustrated Albanese earlier today hit back at criticism he received the Qantas upgrades worth thousands of dollars.
The prime minister said he had never acted inappropriately and had declared every flight and upgrade he received.
The claims were published in excerpts from a new book by Joe Aston, titled The Chairman’s Lounge.
Aston reported Albanese directly liaised with the airline’s former CEO Alan Joyce to receive more than 20 free upgrades for himself and his family.
The period of the flight upgrades includes when Albanese was transport minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments.
As he addressed the media in Newcastle today, Albanese said the claims were “made with no specifics”.
“There is no accusations being made with any specifics at all about any of this, none,” he said.
”I’ve been completely transparent about this, all my flights have been declared in an appropriate way.”
He denied ever having discussions with Joyce about free upgrades aside from two occasions, which he said were business-related trips.
One of those trips was on an A380 to Dubai, with several other ministers and media personnel, in an agreement between Australia and the UAE government.
He said it was a non-commercial flight.
He also mentioned that he travelled from Perth to London on the first direct flight with a number of other ministers.
“Stephen Ciobo, the tourism minister, was on that flight, I was on that flight as the shadow minister, so was Mark McGowan, the premier of WA, so was Paul Papalia, the WA tourism minister,” he said.
“All of that was declared.
“I have said very clearly – the only direct discussion with Joyce was over the Qantas flight to Dubai and the first flight to Perth, those were the only times I was on a plane with Alan Joyce.”
Albanese said 10 of the 22 upgraded flights referenced in Aston’s book, between him and Bill Shorten in 2013, were paid for by the Labor Party to ensure there was no cost to taxpayers as they were for internal business matters.
PM says Dutton ‘obsessed’
Albanese then turned the discussion to Peter Dutton, claiming the opposition leader was “obsessed” with making him look bad.
“Peter Dutton seems to be obsessed [with] making attacks on myself, my family, and to try to engage in this obsession,” Albanese said.
“[He] seems to be determined to just be arrogant and nasty every day – that’s up to him.”
Albanese said he and Dutton were different because the Coalition leader had received flights on private jets, while he had only ever flown commercial with Qantas, Virgin and Emirates.
”All of my financial arrangements are completely transparent … I don’t have a family trust, I don’t have any shares, I’ve never had any shares in any company.”
Albanese said he was “far from being the most frequently upgraded parliamentarian”, noting shadow communications minister Paul Fletcher had 69 declared flights.
“He’s been in parliament for less time than I’ve been in,” he said.
