New England MP Barnaby Joyce has weighed in on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Qantas upgrades accusing him of ‘gold-plating’ private holidays with Qantas freebies.
It follows excepts from a new book called The Chairman’s Lounge by Joe Aston published in the Australian Financial Review which writes Mr Albanese received tens of thousands of dollars worth of free flights from Qantas through a direct communication line with former CEO Alan Joyce.
Mr Joyce told morning breakfast T.V show Sunrise a lot of people that fly generally get offered upgrades and take them but stressed the difference here is when Mr Albanese asks for an upgrade, it doesn’t pass the pub test.
Mr Aston also writes that the P.M personally lobbied to have his son Nathan declared his ‘plus one’ for membership of the exclusive Chairman’s Lounge, an invitation only lounge membership that’s a step above the business class lounge.
Mr Albanese has acknowledged he accepted upgrades but maintains he has always acted openly and transparently by declaring the travel perks.
