Exclusive Qantas lounges for Aussie MPs spark concern

Some see such perks as attempts to curry favour with Albanese's Labor government

- Jonathan Pearlman

At each of Australia's major domestic airports, a "secret" unmarked door leads to an exclusive lounge run by national carrier Qantas Airways for the political and business elite.

But the invitation-only lounges, known as the Chairman's Lounge, have triggered an outcry over what some see as an attempt to curry favour with the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The furore has already prompted several MPs to cancel their memberships amid heightened scrutiny of the rules surrounding perks offered to politicians.

The controversy over the lounges was sparked by a new book about Qantas, which claimed that Mr Albanese, in his former roles as transport minister and opposition leader, contacted former Qantas head Alan Joyce to request flight upgrades for himself and his family.

Mr Albanese has denied the claims.

But the allegation and revelations that Mr Albanese and other MPs accepted multiple flight upgrades have added to longstanding concerns about whether successive governments have unfairly protected Qantas.

Mr Albanese's ruling Labor Party has been accused of protecting Qantas from international competition by blocking a bid by Qatar Airways in 2023 to add 21 extra weekly flights to and from additional Australian airports.

Qantas also received A$2.7 billion (S$2.34 billion) in handouts from the previous Liberal-National government to keep it afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic but was never required to repay the money.