THIRD WORLD STUFF, YOU COULDN’T MAKE THIS UP.
Senior public servants responsible for regulating Qantas accepted Chairman’s Lounge invitations
By Maani Truu
Posted 2h ago2 hours ago,
updated 2h ago2 hours ago
Qantas' Chairman’s Lounge has come under scrutiny in recent weeks.(
AAP: Joel Carrett)
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COPY LINKSHARESenior public servants from the watchdogs regulating Qantas' consumer relations and aviation safety have accepted complimentary membership to the airline's exclusive Chairman's Lounge, despite their role in regulating the national carrier.
Five of the seven commissioners of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are members of the invite-only Chairman's Lounge,
where alcohol, restaurant-quality meals, and luxurious facilities are available free of charge.
The agency
recently launched legal action against the airline for allegedly selling tickets to already cancelled flights.
It’s tucked away in six of Australia’s airports, well hidden from the average traveller. Inside, some of Australia’s most powerful enjoy five-star food and wine as they await their flights. But when you ask about the Chairman’s Lounge, Qantas has no comment.
Read moreThree current board members and three senior executives of the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority (CASA), the government body responsible for regulating aviation safety, are also members.
Qantas has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, following the ACCC investigation and questions over its influence on the government's decision to
deny Qatar Airway's bid for additional flights to Australian airports.
The Chairman's Lounge — described as the most "exclusive club in the country" and frequented by current and former politicians, corporate heavyweights and celebrities — has been at the centre of the debate after it was revealed that Anthony Albanese's adult son was granted membership.
Federal parliamentarians and their spouses are automatically invited to join, but the privilege is typically not extended to other family members.
Qantas has repeatedly refused to divulge details of the lounge, its membership, or the eligibility process. "I'm afraid we don't comment on the Chairman's Lounge," a spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is a member of Qantas' Chairman's Lounge, and last month it was revealed that his adult son had also been granted access.
(AAP: Dean Lewins)Regulators involved in Qantas matters
Four of the five ACCC commissioners who are Chairman's Lounge members were invited to join after commencing their roles with the agency, while one commissioner's membership predates their involvement with the ACCC, a spokesperson said.
Those commissioners have been involved in making decisions relating to Qantas' conduct, including in the recent investigation into the alleged sale of already cancelled flights. The agency alleges that Qantas advertised tickets to more than 8,000 cancelled flights between May and June last year, which they say amounted to false, misleading or deceptive conduct.
"Decisions by the Commission are made collectively, impartially and on their merits," the spokesperson said.
"The ACCC Commissioner’s gifts and hospitality register has disclosed for some time that some commissioners were provided with access to the Chairman’s Lounge."
Former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce departed the airline two months ahead of schedule.
(AAP: Bianca De Marchi)A CASA spokesperson confirmed that six people across the organisation's board and senior executive have been gifted membership to the Qantas Chairman's Lounge and/or the Virgin Beyond Lounges.
"The total is made up of CASA's CEO (who is a senior executive and board member but is counted only once), a further three current CASA board members and two current senior executives," they said. "Some of these memberships have carried over from previous roles."
The ABC is not suggesting that members of the Chairman's Lounge have engaged in any wrongdoing,only that it reveals the reach of Qantas’s free club membership in the public service and could contribute to the perception of conflicts of interest.
A Fair Work Commission spokesperson did not confirm whether any of their representatives were Chairman's Lounge members, stating: "Any such memberships are a matter between the airline and the member personally."
The
Australian Public Service Commission requires agency heads to publicly disclose any gifts or benefits valued at more than $100 received by organisation staff in the performance of their duties. The Fair Work Commission's register does not list any gifts or benefits since 2019.
"Fair Work Commission Members are independent statutory appointments and not APS employees. Accordingly, the Australian Public Services Commissioner's directions on the disclosure of gifts and benefits only applies to commission staff, not Members," the Commission spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the Fair Work Ombudsman confirmed that neither the Ombudsman Anna Booth nor the deputy ombudsmen are members.
High Court judges also members
All seven sitting High Court judges have also accepted invitations to the club, the court confirmed this week, before handing down a decision in a long-running case between Qantas and the Transport Workers Union over the
sacking of 1,700 ground staff during the pandemic.
Qantas took a long-running battle with the Transport Workers' Union over sacked staff to the High Court.
Read moreThe court
unanimously dismissed Qantas' appeal on Wednesday, after the Federal Court previously found the decision to outsource the jobs of baggage handlers and cleaners breached the law. Qantas has maintained the decision was made for sound commercial reasons.
A High Court spokesperson said the fact that judges were members of the Chairman's Lounge was disclosed to parties prior to the hearing of the Qantas matter and no objection was raised.
Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine told RN Breakfast on Wednesday that he did not see the judges' Chairman's Lounge membership as an issue. "We don't think it's rational to take the position that the High Court judges, literally the judges that are the most astute legal minds in our community, would be influenced by membership of the Chairman's Lounge in any decision," he said.
The chief executive officer and principal registrar of the Federal Court and the president of the National Native Title Tribunal have also previously disclosed their membership to the lounge, according to the Federal Court's gifts and benefits register.
Inside the lounges
There are six Chairman's Lounges across the country, tucked away behind unmarked doors in the domestic airports of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth.
Members are permitted to bring a guest when travelling with them, and there is no fee for joining. Membership lasts for two years, at the end of which it is either renewed or revoked at Qantas' discretion.
Inside the Sydney Chairman's Lounge.
(Supplied)Inside the lounge, an a la carte menu, buffet, and open bar are available round the clock. Members are also able to make use of luxury showers and meeting rooms, while staff provide personalised notifications about boarding times and flight changes.
"The thing that always struck me the most is that you were always waited on hand and foot by really attentive hospitality staff," a regular guest to the lounge told ABC News.
Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, and Greens' leader Adam Bandt are all Chairman's Lounge members, as well as a long list of politicians from both sides of the aisle.
Earlier this week, Nine Newspapers published a
survey that reportedly found 70 per cent of voters believed it was unacceptable for political leaders to accept free membership to exclusive clubs like the Chairman's Lounge