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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied claims he called then-Qantas CEO Alan Joyce asking for flight upgrades.
With the prime minister facing scrutiny over the 22 upgrades he has received from the national carrier, his office put out a statement this evening refuting the allegations that he called the Qantas boss to request the pro-bono trips up to the pointy end of the plane.
"The prime minister did not ever call Alan Joyce seeking an upgrade," the statement said.
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"All travel has been appropriately declared and is a matter of public record."
It comes after a new book by former Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston claimed Albanese contacted Joyce to arrange the upgrades.
"According to Qantas insiders, Albanese would liaise with Joyce directly about his personal travel," an edited extract from The Chairman's Lounge, published in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, claimed.
"While other Qantas executives could authorise 'space available' upgrades in flight bookings, meaning an upgrade would occur only if there was an empty business or first class seat after check-in had closed, only Joyce could issue 'confirmed' or guaranteed upgrades, the kind that Albanese was treated to."
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Albanese has repeatedly pointed to the fact he publicly disclosed his upgrades, and cabinet members including Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Health Minister Mark Butler have defended the prime minister's conduct.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, though, has attacked Albanese over the upgrades.
While Dutton has also received flight upgrades and, like Albanese and most other MPs, is a member of the invitation-only Qantas Chairman's Lounge, he said the difference between his conduct and the prime minister's was the alleged calls.
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"I wasn't the transport minister picking up the phone to Alan Joyce, the CEO of Australia's biggest airline, to ask for free upgrades for me and my family," he said yesterday.
Earlier today, Dutton had called on Albanese to say whether he had spoken to Joyce about the upgrades.
"The prime minister has to answer… the first question about did he pick the phone up to Alan Joyce and ask for the free upgrades, or not?" he said.
"It's a pretty simple question to answer."
