Australian Policies -- from October 2024

[Loflyer]

But…whatabout? What a joke

[percebushby]

@Bacchusfox

I have passed on your best regards to Cathy King.

I asked her to ban Qatar Airlines from Australia completely, just to take away your ability to fly with them.

Really ?

[tinhillterror]

@Preliminary_Point2

Inflation at 2.8% cost of living crisis is officially over.

Avocados must be the outlier. Dropped to $1 last year. Now up to $2.50 FFS.

[premature_rookie_ele]

The use of gate as a suffix for everything dodgy really grinds my gears

[Preliminary_Point2]

Well there’s still this thing called seasons.

[jonovdp]

@Hoffy

but the pearl clutching from the Opposition and News Corp is so obviously disingenuous because they sat unperturbed through corruption scandal after corruption scandal from the Morrison Government.

Yep, I’ve been thinking this all week.

[bigallan]

I have no problems with Federal politicians getting upgrades and special lounge access and to accompanying family for work travel.
However I think they should knock back upgrades other than at the Gate for personal travel.

[dingus]

@Lawry

As my shrink says - self awareness is the first step towards beating obsessive behaviour

No it’s definitely drugs.

[dingus]

@bigallan

As to Qatar Airways, there is a new scandal involving gifts to an Estonian, a high level EU official in charge of transport, receiving lavish gifts in exchange for information.
He quit his post after being revealed that there was a link to Qatar Air given access under the EU blue skies policy.
There are now further fraud investigations involving him and his family.
I hope none of out pollies have been in receipt of favours from Qatar Air.

Or worse still, been guilty of gifting watches to high performing contractors while being female.

[dingus]

@Preliminary_Point2

Well there’s still this thing called seasons.

It is best not to mention that term to Essendon supporters.

[Preliminary_Point2]

We definitely have short ones, but I wouldn’t recommend people make the most of them.

[Bacchusfox]

Told you so

[Bacchusfox]

Of course, I have pictures of most Ministers, so they are at my beck and call.

[bigallan]

It seems Carmel Tebbutt, the ex, got Chairman’s Lounge access and upgrades by virtue of her own status as a NSW Minister and Deputy PM at one time. Her access and upgrades are recorded on the relevant NSW Parliament site.

[bigallan]

Aston was gunning for Holgate when she was at AP , then sticking the boot in when she headed up the AP rival.
IIRC he recently acknowledged that he had got it wrong about her.

[JBOMBER]

@bigallan

I have no problems with Federal politicians getting upgrades and special lounge access and to accompanying family for work travel.
However I think they should knock back upgrades other than at the Gate for personal travel.

This 100%. I would have assumed all work related travel would have been booked as business class so no need for the airline to upgrade.

Personal trips I think is completely different. For a trip to say LA or London, the value in being moved up to business class is around 10K. With family accompanying thats a significant amount of money’s worth. I don’t think its ethical for any MP of any persuasion or position to be accepting a gift like that especially on a regular basis. I feel MP’s are paid well enough to afford BC travel for themselves but it seems like they are knowingly taking advantage of the airlines & deliberately seeking upgrades even if they are not directly asking the CEO for them. For Albo’s example of 22 personal trips even if he only had 1 partner, thats still hundreds of thousands of dollars. Access to lounges doesn’t bother me as I would expect that in their professional capacity so no issue with that benefitting them privately.

If anything comes out of this I hope they make the changes & make it clear that all personal travel should be paid for by the MP’s. Its waaaaaay too open for corruption.

[Aceman]

She was ok and did some decent things but she had no real industry knowledge and was a bit of a failure in some areas. It’s worked out best that she has gone even if most including myself at APG didn’t agree with how it played out

[bigallan]

I don’t know where the 22 personal trips is coming from. Aston mentioned 3 OS family holidays - London, Rome and LA.

They would all be racking up status credits and points from their frequent work travel. Ed Husic said he used the points for his travel, doesn’t take upgrades offered.
Within Australia, I understood that MPs travel Business for work , OS also, with Ministers getting FC. Certainly all the Mins I knew travelled FC ( some with partner) .

I’m guessing that upgrades are on offer for all of them with Chairman’s Club status.
They can ring the number they have been given from that status to book all their travel, including personal travel. The relevant PA or travel agent in an office would do it.
I don’t begrudge Federal politicians upgrades for work travel ( or for their family to accompany them within their entitlements). They spend a lot of time on flights to and from Canberra and long times in Canberra away from their families ( including when Parliament isn’t sitting).
I’ve had occasional upgrades at the Gate for work and personal , because there were spare seats in the pointy end. I don’t categorise that as a saving, just lucky.

[handypoint]

No problem with politicians getting upgrades on airlines. They are like everyone else.

Do have a huge problem in denying Qatar or any other airline access to Australia to provide more competition.

1 in 3 aussies are born overseas. It’s neglecting the public interest to not chase the most competitive airline sector in Australia as possible.

(The bigger issue is domestic flights anyhow)

[Preliminary_Point2]

Qatar airlines sexually assaulted a group of Australian women, that’s why they are banned not because Albo likes quantas.