Anthony Albanese dodges question over relationship with Alan Joyce while defending Qantas flight upgrades

Anthony Albanese has defiantly claimed he has “always” acted appropriately as he dodged questions about whether or not he personally solicited flight upgrades from former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce.

He accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of being “obsessed” with making personal attacks against himself and his family as he repeatedly asserted he had been transparent, but the same couldn’t be said for his opponent.

Claims made in a new book by journalist Joe Aston reveal the Prime Minister received 22 flight upgrades worth tens of thousands of dollars during his time in Parliament — including while he was transport minister — and that he had personally asked Mr Joyce for some of those.

On Tuesday, Mr Albanese launched a scathing attack against Aston as he was forced to defend some of the flight upgrades, but would not be drawn on whether or not he had ever personally asked Mr Joyce for upgrades, saying there were no “specific” accusations being made.

Instead, he sought to turn the attack around and called Aston and Mr Dutton’s transparency into question.

“I’ve declared everything,” he said.

“I just make the point that the person who is trying to sell a book... I don’t see declarations that he’s a former Liberal Party staffer for a number of senior members of the Liberal Party. I don’t see declarations that he’s a former Qantas employee,” Mr Albanese said.

Aston immediately took to social media to share the first page of his book, which disclosed his history with the Liberal Party and involvement with Qantas.

“It has never been a secret. This is beyond desperate from the PM,” Aston wrote on X.

Mr Albanese also said Mr Dutton couldn’t throw stones when he was accepting flights on private jets “owned by billionaires” that he never declared.

“I have always acted in an open and transparent way… In my time in public life, I have acted with integrity, acted in a way that is entirely appropriate, and I have declared in accordance with the rules,” Mr Albanese said.

Asked whether he had ever directly contacted Mr Joyce for upgrades, Mr Albanese said the only conversations he could recall with the former chief executive about the flights related to the first direct Perth to London flight; and the first Qantas/ Emirates A380 flight to Dubai — which were not commercial flights.

He further added that ten of the 22 flights in question were during the period of the leadership challenge between Mr Albanese and former Labor leader Bill Shorten.

“Both Qantas and Virgin provided upgrades for flights that were paid for by the Australian Labor Party to make sure there was not any cost to taxpayers for what was internal business,” he said.

Earlier, the Opposition’s transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie said she was open to forming a new Senate inquiry that would force Mr Joyce — who retired last year — to front up and explain.

“I think people are rightly furious about this,” she told breakfast television.

Senator McKenzie said it was a fair question if Mr Joyce needed to be brought before a Senate Inquiry.

“Let’s get (Alan Joyce) before the Senate”, she said.

The Coalition tried — and failed — to get Mr Joyce before a Senate inquiry into Qantas last year, with his successor Vanessa Hudson ultimately left to answer questions.

Government ministers have rallied around Mr Albanese in the wake of this week’s revelations and accused the Coalition of playing politics.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, on the panel with Senator McKenzie, said the whole thing had been a “complete pile on” on the Prime Minister.

“He’s publicly declared very, very clearly what he has been gifted, as have other MPs. And I think the pile on from the Coalition really shows that I think there’s something to ‘if you are in a glass house, don’t throw stones’,” she said.

She pointed to the fact both Senator McKenzie and opposition leader Peter Dutton had received upgrades.

Senator McKenzie said there was a difference between receiving one and soliciting one.

“That’s what’s happened when (Mr Albanese) was the (transport) minister regulating the aviation sector. So it’s a serious job being transport minister, and he is seen to be soliciting freebies,” she said.