There have been growing questions around what influence Qantas had over a government decision to deny additional Qatar flights into Australia. A parliamentary inquiry will now look into the matter further.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 The opposition has long been questioning the government over exactly why it decided not
00:06 to allow Qatar Airways to increase its flight capacity into major capital cities.
00:12 The government has said it was in the national interest but hasn't exactly defined what that
00:17 is.
00:18 Now, we do know that Qantas lobbied the government against the idea.
00:22 Qantas didn't want Qatar getting extra flights or that flight capacity increased into the
00:27 major capital cities.
00:28 But what we don't know is exactly who Qantas spoke with and the extent of that lobbying
00:33 despite repeated questions to the government.
00:36 So what we saw late yesterday was that the opposition, with the support of the crossbench,
00:40 have been able to set up a Senate inquiry to look into this decision.
00:45 The inquiry specifically will look at the impacts on the aviation sector.
00:49 It will look at the impacts on the Australian economy in terms of the tourism sector and
00:54 the impact on the cost of flights.
00:56 Because we've heard from the tourism sector as well as even the chair of the ACCC that
01:01 more flights into Australia means more competition and therefore reduced flights.
01:05 So the message coming through there is that if these additional flights for Qatar Airways
01:11 were allowed, we could have seen cheaper international air prices.
01:15 The shadow transport minister is Bridget McKenzie and she says that this inquiry will hopefully
01:20 get a few more answers around exactly how and why the government made this decision.
01:26 I think it's been clear over the last couple of weeks in particular that Australians have
01:31 a lot of questions about why this government keeps making decisions that keep airfares
01:36 high and cancellations and delays in the wrong direction.
01:40 What I don't agree with is a government unable to explain its own decision making.
01:45 Anthony Albanese has not just a close personal relationship with the former CEO of Qantas
01:51 but a very strong political relationship with Qantas.
01:55 And that's not going to change just because Alan Joyce is out of the departure lounge
02:01 with his in excess of $10 million carry on luggage.
02:06 Despite the growing pressure on the government to provide more information, Steffi, it's
02:11 standing by the decision?
02:14 Very much so, Karina.
02:15 So senior government ministers are saying look, international capacity has increased.
02:20 They're pointing to other airlines that have been allowed to increase the flights that
02:25 they're bringing in and out of Australia.
02:27 So they're saying that there is enough competition there.
02:30 Their other argument is that Qatar Airways can increase its capacity but not into those
02:35 major cities where it's asked for, into cities such as here in Canberra or also up in Cairns
02:40 in Queensland.
02:41 Now, the other interesting thing to point out this morning is when senior government
02:45 ministers have been asked to define exactly what the national interest is in this case,
02:51 one of them even suggested that we speak to the transport minister, Catherine King.
02:55 Now various ABC programs as well as other media outlets have been asking for interviews
03:00 with the transport minister but that hasn't occurred in recent days, in fact in recent
03:05 weeks.
03:06 So we're still waiting to hear from her to provide further explanations.
03:11 It has also led to questions about whether the government in fact should just simply
03:14 review this decision.
03:16 The ALP president Wayne Swan, for example, last week even suggested that might be the
03:20 right way to go.
03:22 But this morning Treasurer Jim Chalmers has all but ruled that out.
03:26 The priority now becomes the aviation green paper.
03:29 Catherine King, the Minister for Transport, has been working very hard on aviation sector
03:34 reform.
03:35 You'll see a green paper before long and then a white paper I think next year from memory.
03:40 That's our focus.
03:42 And in terms of that Senate inquiry that's looking into the government's decision, that
03:45 will report back by early next month.
03:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]