WEBVTT - Why the Qantas saga is ‘classic Albanese’

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<v Speaker 1>From Schwartz Media. I'm Ruby Jones. This is seven am.

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<v Speaker 1>The Prime Minister's relationship with former Quantus CEO Alan Joyce

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<v Speaker 1>and whether he likes a free upgrade has been the

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<v Speaker 1>talk of Canberra, prompted by the publication of a new book,

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<v Speaker 1>The Chairman's Lounge. A speculation about what the book would

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<v Speaker 1>reveal had been swirling for months, and it was widely

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<v Speaker 1>known in political circles that some of it would be

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<v Speaker 1>bad for the Prime Minister. But when it was finally published,

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<v Speaker 1>Albernezi and his office seemed unprepared. Today, special correspondent for

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<v Speaker 1>the Saturday Paper Jason cottsircus on the upgrade saga that's

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<v Speaker 1>entangled politicians from both major parties and whether it matters

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<v Speaker 1>if politicians get a fancy drink in a fancy chair.

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<v Speaker 1>It's Monday, November four, So Jason tell me where the

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<v Speaker 1>story of the Quantus upgrades begins.

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<v Speaker 2>So it kicked off last week because of a book,

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<v Speaker 2>but there's actually been a lot of tension between the

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<v Speaker 2>author of this book, a former Australian Financial Review columnist

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<v Speaker 2>named Joe Aston, and the Prime Minister for quite a while.

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<v Speaker 2>Last year. Joe Aston wrote a story in the Financial

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<v Speaker 2>Review reporting that Anthony Albaneze's son Nathan, had been granted

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<v Speaker 2>membership to Quantus's exclusive Chairman's Lounge. That story, coming so

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<v Speaker 2>soon after Transport Minister Catherine King had blocked an application

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<v Speaker 2>from Cutter Airways to add more international flights to Australian roots,

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<v Speaker 2>dogged Anthony Albanzi for weeks. He refused to confirm or

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<v Speaker 2>deny whether his son had a membership. He also rang

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<v Speaker 2>the editor of The Australian to Review, Michael Stutchbury, to

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<v Speaker 2>ask him not to run the story. He was also

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<v Speaker 2>facing question day after day about whether his son's membership

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<v Speaker 2>of the Chairman's Lounge had somehow led him to act

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<v Speaker 2>in Quantus's interests over Cutter Airways, and this story infuriated

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<v Speaker 2>some members of Anthony Aberzi's front bench at the time.

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<v Speaker 2>They just couldn't understand why the Prime Minister didn't come

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<v Speaker 2>out straight away and say, yes, Nathan is a member

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<v Speaker 2>of the Chairman's Lounge, but he shouldn't be and I've

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<v Speaker 2>asked him to hand back his membership to Quantas.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so Joe asked OFMS reporting on this. It turned

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<v Speaker 1>into a book, The Chairman's Lounge, tell me about what's

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<v Speaker 1>in that book when it comes to Anthony Albanese's travel.

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<v Speaker 2>So this is a book that's really about Quantus and

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<v Speaker 2>Alan Joyce and how Joe Aston believes that Alan Joyce

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<v Speaker 2>mismanaged the company in the second half of his tenure

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<v Speaker 2>as chief executive. But the most explosive allegations in the

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<v Speaker 2>book concerned the Prime Minister, Anthony Alberanzi and Joe Aston's

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<v Speaker 2>delegation is that during the time between twenty nine and

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty two, Albanesi received twenty two free upgrades for

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<v Speaker 2>himself and one upgrade for his family. You know, this

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<v Speaker 2>book has been the talk of Canberra for months, and

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<v Speaker 2>by the time it was published last week it was

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<v Speaker 2>widely known in the press gallery and I'm sure in

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<v Speaker 2>the ministerial wing that there were several sections of the

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<v Speaker 2>book that would cause problems for Anthony Alberenesi. But instead

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<v Speaker 2>of being ready for questions, it seemed to me that

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<v Speaker 2>they were quite flat footed. He was asked about his

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<v Speaker 2>relationship with Joyce and Quantas and he just tried to

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<v Speaker 2>bat those questions away by saying that every single thing

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<v Speaker 2>had been declared.

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<v Speaker 3>I have at all times, at all times acted in

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<v Speaker 3>a transparent and appropriate way.

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<v Speaker 2>He was also asked about whether his son was a

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<v Speaker 2>member of the Chairman's Lounge, and the Prime Minister did

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<v Speaker 2>concede that, yes, Nathan was a member of the Chairman's Lounge,

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<v Speaker 2>but he tried to explain that by saying that when

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<v Speaker 2>he separated from his then wife, Carmel Tebbett in January

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<v Speaker 2>twenty nineteen, he simply transferred the plus one entitlement to

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<v Speaker 2>his son. The Prime Minister said, I think you know

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<v Speaker 2>that people's family shouldn't be the subject of targeting, that

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<v Speaker 2>this all happened a while ago. It was a very

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<v Speaker 2>simple explanation. But the problem was that this was the

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<v Speaker 2>first time that Albanzier really confirmed his son's membership of

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<v Speaker 2>the Chairman's Lounge, and it ended up making things a

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<v Speaker 2>lot worse for him.

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<v Speaker 1>Right how so, Jason.

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<v Speaker 2>Well in the newspapers on Monday, Johnalist kind of seized

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<v Speaker 2>on two new details. Firstly, Albanezy he confirmed that his

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<v Speaker 2>son was a member of the Chairman's Lounge, but he

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<v Speaker 2>had not declared that his son's membership on his parliamentary

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<v Speaker 2>declaration of interests, as members of Parliament typically do for

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<v Speaker 2>their or a partner when it comes to the Chairman's Lounge.

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<v Speaker 2>And the other detail that journalist seized on was that

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<v Speaker 2>the Prime Minister's fiance, Jody Hayden, had also received a

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<v Speaker 2>complimentary Chairman's Lounge membership in October twenty twenty two, and

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<v Speaker 2>that's something that is declared on the Prime Minister's Register

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<v Speaker 2>of interests. So according to the Prime Minister last Sunday,

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<v Speaker 2>Nathan was his plus one, but Jody Hayden was also

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<v Speaker 2>a plus one. So you know the circumstances around his

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<v Speaker 2>son's membership. Yeah, not entirely clear.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, And so how did he go on to respond

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<v Speaker 1>to those details.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, he gave another press conference on Tuesday, and I

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<v Speaker 2>think he made things even worse for himself when he

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<v Speaker 2>decided that he would try to play the man and

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<v Speaker 2>not the ball and lashed out at Joyston personally.

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<v Speaker 3>Now I've declared everything. I just made this point, and

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<v Speaker 3>I just make the point as well that the person

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<v Speaker 3>who is trying to sell a book and fair enough,

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<v Speaker 3>I don't see decorations. He's a former Liberal Party staffer

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<v Speaker 3>for a number of senior members of the Liberal Party,

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<v Speaker 3>including Joe Hockey and Bruce Baird. I don't see decorations.

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<v Speaker 3>He as a former Quanus employee, I don't see decorations.

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<v Speaker 1>Now.

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<v Speaker 2>The problem with that, though, is that Joe Aston did

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<v Speaker 2>make those declarations and he kind of couldn't have been

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<v Speaker 2>more explicit about it because those declarations are contained in

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<v Speaker 2>the first line of the book's first page.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, and the strategy of attacking the messenger it rarely

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<v Speaker 1>works in this case though, it seems to have significantly backfired.

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<v Speaker 1>So why did the Prime Minister choose to respond in

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<v Speaker 1>this way?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, from my conversations with people in the Prime Minister's office,

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<v Speaker 2>they recognized that, you know, Albanezy himself knows that he

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<v Speaker 2>fucked up with that answer. Yeah, that's what someone told me.

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<v Speaker 2>He knows he fucked up. But another key alban easy

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<v Speaker 2>ally had the Minister for Defense Industry, Pat Conroy, he

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<v Speaker 2>landed the attack on Joe Aston a little better. When

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<v Speaker 2>he appeared at the National Press Club on Wednesday. He

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<v Speaker 2>said it was actually very important to point out Aston's

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<v Speaker 2>affiliation with the Liberal Party, and he said these the

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<v Speaker 2>claims in this book are made by a former Liberal

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<v Speaker 2>staffer who as recently as three months ago was the

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<v Speaker 2>headline act at a federal Liberal fundraiser. But a bit

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<v Speaker 2>of a feeding frenzy had already sort of developed in

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<v Speaker 2>Canberra around this issue, and late on Wednesday, the Prime

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<v Speaker 2>Minister's spokeswoman was forced to issue a statement to the

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<v Speaker 2>media saying that the Prime Minister had not ever called

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<v Speaker 2>Alan Joyce seeking an upgrade. But even that didn't kill

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<v Speaker 2>the issue, because that statement seemed to kind of leave

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<v Speaker 2>open the possibility that perhaps the Prime Minister had tried

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<v Speaker 2>to contact the CEO of quantest via and other means,

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<v Speaker 2>and Sydney Radio present Ben Fordham he reached out to

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<v Speaker 2>the Prime Minister personally and he read out a text

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<v Speaker 2>message exchange that he had had with the PM on

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<v Speaker 2>air on two GB on Thursday.

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<v Speaker 4>The question was asked, did you ever text Alan Joyce

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<v Speaker 4>about flight upgrades? The PM's answer no. Did you ever

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<v Speaker 4>email Alan Joyce about flight upgrades? The PM's answer again no.

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<v Speaker 4>Did you ever share with Alan Joyce any flights or

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<v Speaker 4>travel plans without specifically asking for an upgrade? The PM

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<v Speaker 4>replied no.

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<v Speaker 2>The PM said, you know, over thirty years there could

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<v Speaker 2>have been a mistake, but we've gone through the records

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<v Speaker 2>and there are none. Why would you call the CEO

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<v Speaker 2>of quantas to discuss your flights anyway, I haven't spoken

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<v Speaker 2>to Alan in a very long time.

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<v Speaker 1>So who to believe the author of the Chairman's lounge

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<v Speaker 1>or the Prime Minister? That's after the break Jason Joe

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<v Speaker 1>Aston says that Anthony Abenezi asked the QUANTU CEO, Alan

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<v Speaker 1>Joyce to upgrade flights for him. However, Anthony Alberinezi firmly

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<v Speaker 1>denies ever having done this. So who should we believe you?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's a really tricky situation. Joe Aston says he's

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<v Speaker 2>very confident of his sourcing, but we know he didn't

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<v Speaker 2>speak to Alan Joyce, and we know he didn't speak

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<v Speaker 2>to the Prime Minister, so how did he get this information?

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<v Speaker 2>We really do have to trust the Prime Minister when

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<v Speaker 2>he says that he has been through thirty years of

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<v Speaker 2>flight records. He's got to be confident because Alan Joyce

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<v Speaker 2>is likely to be called back before a Senate committee

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<v Speaker 2>to answer questions around this issue. So perhaps we'd better

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<v Speaker 2>wait and see what Alan Joyce has to say before

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<v Speaker 2>we really issue a kind of any further judgment on

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<v Speaker 2>who to believe here.

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<v Speaker 1>And the focus has been on the Prime Minister on

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<v Speaker 1>this issue, but of course, he is not the only

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<v Speaker 1>politician accused of accepting various perks while in office. I

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<v Speaker 1>mean you could almost say it's endemic to the political class.

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<v Speaker 2>Joe Aston actually points out in his book that Alban

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<v Speaker 2>Easy isn't alone here. Did you ever ring Alan Joyce

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<v Speaker 2>or anyone in Cornersman?

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<v Speaker 4>I do not have a hotline to request upgrades.

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<v Speaker 1>I have received an upgrade.

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<v Speaker 2>Opposition Transport spokeswoman Bridget Mackenzie was forced to admit this

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<v Speaker 2>week that she may have received flight upgrades and not

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<v Speaker 2>properly declared them on her register of interest.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I think you know I was wrong earlier this

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<v Speaker 4>week to be so emphatic. I did end up having

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<v Speaker 4>an upgrade that I had declared, but it really highlighted

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<v Speaker 4>for me the need to check.

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<v Speaker 2>The Opposition leader Peter Dutton, who spent most of last

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<v Speaker 2>week calling for Alban Easy, to refer himself to the

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<v Speaker 2>Knack the National Anti Corruption Commission. He also admitted that

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<v Speaker 2>he wasn't immune to a freebee either. In twenty twenty two,

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<v Speaker 2>Dutton borrowed mining billionaire Gena Reinhart's private plane to fly

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<v Speaker 2>from Queensland to Sydney, and the optics of that aren't

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<v Speaker 2>good either. In fact, a photo has been circulating of

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<v Speaker 2>Gina Ryn Hutt and Peter Dutton on the steps of

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<v Speaker 2>a Quantus plane waving to the gameras in Peter Dutton's defense,

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<v Speaker 2>he accused the government of playing games and by not

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<v Speaker 2>making a taxpayer funded vip jet available.

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<v Speaker 4>The cheap option for the taxpayer was for my office

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<v Speaker 4>to speak to Missus Reinhart's office as to whether the

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<v Speaker 4>plane might be available.

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<v Speaker 3>That was at zero cost to the taxpayer.

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<v Speaker 2>But Peter Dutton hasn't hesitated to charge taxpayers in recent years.

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<v Speaker 2>Between February and August last year, he spent two hundred

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<v Speaker 2>and twenty four thousand dollars worth of taxpayers money for

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<v Speaker 2>the use of VIP planes. Government Services Minister Bill Shot

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<v Speaker 2>chipped in on this this week. And you know, according

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<v Speaker 2>to Bill Shot and the oppositions trying to make a

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<v Speaker 2>meal of this, they've held themselves up to be saintly,

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<v Speaker 2>but actually they're not right.

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<v Speaker 1>But I suppose what is important here is what all

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<v Speaker 1>of this might tell us about the character of the

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<v Speaker 1>politicians involved. So do you think that this has altered

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<v Speaker 1>people's perception of the PM?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think this does go to the PM styles

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<v Speaker 2>as a leader. A former labor staffer that I spoke

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<v Speaker 2>to this week, who's who's known the Prime minister since

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen ninety six, He said to me, look, this is

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<v Speaker 2>this is classic alban Easy. You know he thinks he

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<v Speaker 2>knows best, but he's actually terrible on the detail. If

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<v Speaker 2>you were to ask him, you know who read it

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<v Speaker 2>on who in the Merrickville South ailed his sub branch

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<v Speaker 2>elections in the early nineteen nineties, then you know, no problem.

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<v Speaker 2>Helban Easy can recall every vote. But when he's under

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<v Speaker 2>pressure in front of the cameras far too often, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>this person said to me, you see him trip himself up.

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<v Speaker 2>We did see that, of course during the twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 2>two election campaign, when you know the Prime Minister got

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<v Speaker 2>into hot water over not being able to recall key

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<v Speaker 2>economic figures etc. Another Labour insiders said that, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>Albanesi's love for a freebie is becoming a bit of

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<v Speaker 2>an open secret, whether it's VIP flights, tickets to sporting

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<v Speaker 2>events or concerts. You know, rubbing shoulders with corporate high

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<v Speaker 2>flyers at these events. The PM is starting to look

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<v Speaker 2>out of touch and don't forget you know this is

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<v Speaker 2>coming off the back of news that the Prime Minister

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<v Speaker 2>bought a four point three million dollar house on the

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<v Speaker 2>New South Wales Central Coast just a couple of weeks ago,

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<v Speaker 2>which many people also thought was a bad look and

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<v Speaker 2>that showed how out of touch the PM is when

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<v Speaker 2>it comes to the everyday struggles of ordinary Australians.

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<v Speaker 1>Jason, thank you for your time.

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<v Speaker 2>Absolute pleasure to talk with you.

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<v Speaker 1>Ruby. Also in the news today, Prime Minister Anthony Albanesi

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<v Speaker 1>has announced that a re elected Labor government would slash

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<v Speaker 1>student debt by twenty percent. According to the government, this

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<v Speaker 1>would cut around sixteen billion dollars in debt and would

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<v Speaker 1>apply to a range of income contingent loans, including help

0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:45.400
<v Speaker 1>debts and apprenticeship loans. The plan would see an average

0:14:45.440 --> 0:14:48.240
<v Speaker 1>help debt of twenty seven thousand, six hundred reduced by

0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:51.400
<v Speaker 1>around five thousand, five hundred and twenty, with the whole

0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:54.280
<v Speaker 1>package costing the budget more than five hundred million dollars.

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<v Speaker 1>The changes would take effect in June next year, and

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<v Speaker 1>the Education Minister, Jason Clair, has admitted he asked for

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<v Speaker 1>and received a free flight upgrade from Quantus in twenty nineteen.

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<v Speaker 1>Mister Claire said he had recently had surgery, and recalls

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<v Speaker 1>calling and probably speaking with a government relations official were

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<v Speaker 1>arranged an upgrade for his private overseas trip. The minister

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<v Speaker 1>declared the flight at the time, I'm Ruby Jones. This

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<v Speaker 1>is seven am. See you tomorrow