‘What else do they have to do wrong?’: Canberra Airport chief blasts Qantas
Tom RabeWA political correspondentSep 22, 2023 –
Canberra Airport’s chief executive has blasted Qantas, accusing it of mistreating its staff and customers, and breaching contract conditions as he called for heavier regulation to finally bring the national carrier “to heel”.
Canberra Airport boss Stephen Byron has criticised Qantas for mistreating its staff and customers. Kirsty Umback In his opening statement to a Senate committee on Friday, Canberra Airport CEO Stephen Byron said Qantas would further ride roughshod over consumers, competitors and suppliers until it was brought into line by stronger regulatory action.
“What else does Qantas have to do wrong in addition to its unlawful sacking of staff, its appalling treatment of customers with flight credit, cancellations and sky-high airfares, and its excessive profit and its mismanagement of cancelled flights,” Mr Byron asked.
“Qantas will not change, unless they’re brought to heel by a regulator or by the highest court in the land.”
The committee, tasked with investigating the
Albanese government’s decision to block Qatar Airways’ application for an additional 28 weekly flights to Australia earlier this year, was held in Perth on Friday.Sep 22Mar Airport chiefs, local farming and livestock representatives, as well as key members of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission fronted Friday’s inquiry.
More flights ‘puts downward pressure on price’
The Senate inquiry questioned ACCC representatives on Friday afternoon about whether any federal ministers or government representatives had sought advice from the commission over the controversial Qatar decision.
ACCC chairwoman Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the consumer watchdog had not been asked by the Albanese government to provide advice over the decision to block Qatar Airways’ flights into Australia.
Ms Cass-Gottlieb said while it had not been the usual practice of the ACCC to provide government advice on those issues, it would “certainly stand ready to provide advice on such matters”.
“We continue to not have a role,” she said.
Ms Cass-Gottlieb also confirmed that five of seven ACCC commissioners, including herself, held a membership to the exclusive Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.
Asked by committee chairwoman Nationals MP Bridget McKenzie whether adding more flights from Qatar into Australia would have resulted in cheaper airfares, Ms Cass-Gottlieb said: “In the usual course, more competition produces downward pressure on price.”
John Hassell, president of WA Farmers, at the hearing. Trevor Collens
Lack of air freight capacity
WA Farmers president John Hassell said a lack of air freight capacity was a key factor in local producers losing out.
Mr Hassell said the WA industry was losing as much as $1.5 million a week compared with a year ago because of a convergence of less air freight capacity, dry weather and an impending live export ban on sheep.
He said Transport Minister Catherine King was hurting farmers at a time sheep producers were especially vulnerable.
“The tone deafness of this current federal government is beyond belief,” he told the inquiry.
“I cannot believe that Ms King could have made this decision without considering the much, much deeper implications of the long-term trading arrangements.”
Mr Hassell and representatives from Sheep Producers Australia and the Pastoralists and Graziers Association called on the federal government to reconsider its move to reject the additional Qatar flights.
Earlier, Mr Byron said Qantas had taken an “extreme approach” to dealing with contractors and was very active in vying with its competition and lobbying the government.
‘Everyone else gets scraps’
“They control the market and everyone else gets the scraps,” the airport chief said.
“Airports have been subjected to unlawful behaviour by Qantas, they seem to act as if they are above the law, above the contracts that they sign ...what’s been extraordinary is that the behaviour of Qantas over the last number of years, and the treatment of their customers in particular, has been severely detrimental and things need to change with Qantas.”
He said a third airline needed to operate in Australia to cut the market share of Qantas, which enjoyed the vast majority of profits. Mr Byron said the airline had deliberately breached its contract with Canberra Airport during the pandemic.
Labor senator Tony Sheldon criticised the management of the Senate committee and questioned why a number of parliamentary staff had travelled to Perth for the hearing despite most people appearing via video link.
“Ironically this hearing has made Qantas quite a lot of money at the taxpayers’ expense,” Senator Sheldon said, before calling the hearing a “farce” and a “junket”.
The decision to knock back Qatar has been criticised by regulators, tourism bodies and the
Queensland and
West Australian governments, which say more flights would increase competition and lower ticket prices.
The Coalition and the Senate crossbench established an inquiry probing the move after ministers offered several explanations – including human rights, well-paid local jobs and protecting Qantas’ profits – while failing to answer questions about advice and ministerial consultations relating to the decision.