Article: Free Chairman’s Lounge for Politicians: A Conflict of Interest?

[Princess Fiona]

I Former speaker Peter Slipper had a name for (among other things, obviously) dropping by the CBR lounge for more than the odd meal, even when he wasn't travelling.

He wasn’t dropping by any Flounge without a BP which is what my post was referring to.
CL used to be able to access them flying any airline but no longer.

 

[Danger]

He wasn’t dropping by any Flounge without a BP which is what my post was referring to.
CL used to be able to access them flying any airline but no longer.

I didn't then, nor do I now, dispute that he did in fact drop by an F lounge, given there is none in CBR (and I don't believe there ever was).

 

[The Flying Brick]

They certainly do, at least in SYD, there is a couple of rooms between the entrance and library in the FLounge which have a desk, some couches a coffee table, and F Lounge staff will happily bring both food and booze to them

Furthermore I love that I'm speaking from experience.

Yes. I’ve spent the odd hour or three in these ‘private‘ rooms but they are definitely not a CL international lounge.

Just a room in the F lounge that you don’t have to share with someone that you have never met and don’t want to track to.

 

[The Flying Brick]

Her section is one of only two sections in her … I dunno, “organisation” (I don’t know what the correct name would be), that makes a “profit” in her ”organisation”. I mean her clients are primarily Oz government so it’s just shuffling money between departments anyway. But anyhoo, she gets shafted on pretty-much everything related to money, as they siphon off any cashflow she has to pay for those other sections, which she wouldn’t mind so much if they didn’t pretend so hard that it wasn’t happening. Her department will almost definitely only be billed what QF or VA are charged, but she won’t ever have to pay that amount, she pays the amount she gets billed by her department. Same as she pays $6k to buy a Dell desktop, no way the department is paying that.

For OS trips she used to contact the sole travel agent they’re allowed to use (usually a business run by a high-level Canberra public-servant’s mate), get a price, look on WebJet to find the discounted price for that travel class on the same flight, then call the travel agent who’d then charge the discounted price. But that system’s gone, she’s now only allowed to accept whatever price they come back with.

Approval for travel is similarly divorced from reality. I don’t think she gets actually billed this “higher price” stuff, but to get approval for travel & accomodation she has to justify the cost at the rate the travellers are “entitled to”. So if she flies/pays economy & stays in a $50/night dorm-room for a week of a critical conference, justification for that travel is made at the full-fare cost of flying J on a QF-tier airline plus something like $250/night for accomodation. So if three people are going, it can actually cost about $6k but she has to put forward a business-case for that critical travel at a cost of closer to $30k. I suspect the reason for that is because if oh no the public ever found out, Fox News Australia wouldn’t have a story about how public servants are flying cramped-up in economy & sleeping in dorm rooms because they take that hit to keep the section running, Fox News Australia would instead have the story about the outrageous $30k junket on the public purse (which never happened). Sometimes I think the government spends more on avoiding “corruption” than corruption would cost if public servants were allowed to work in the same way as the private sector …

Travel agency services for the Federal Government are put out to public tender.

So who are you alleging is acting corruptly and where is your proof?

 

[Forg]

He wasn’t dropping by any Flounge without a BP which is what my post was referring to.
CL used to be able to access them flying any airline but no longer.

Has this been a Thing for an F lounge when it wasn’t for … whatever Qantas Club was called in the early 90’s? A mate’s dad used to get heaps of visitor’s passes he never used, and said mate & two other of us dropped by the domestic terminal for a freebie lunch quite a few times. The stuff they had back then was more like QF domestic J last time I was in there, mebbe 4 years ago.

Or wait a sec … F lounge would be international only, prolly a different kettle of fish even back then?

Travel agency services for the Federal Government are put out to public tender.

So who are you alleging is acting corruptly and where is your proof?

I can‘t remember, that scandal was … nearly ten years ago now wasn’t it?

 

[justinbrett]

My better-half is federal government … her budget gets charged full undiscounted retail, she’s forced to buy tickets through a specific travel agency (I presume so that the Creative Accounting can be managed which charges her budget full retail while paying QF or VA a 20%-40% discount off an already-discounted unflexible fare), and yeah she gets no FF points. They haven’t worked out a way to assign value to SC, unlike FF you can’t buy widgets/items with SC that have a $ value, which is why those are still allowed.

The budget is just internal approval to spend the money, it’s the upper cap of what is available and is generally well in excess of the contracted rates. The travel agency is QBT.

SC are not an issue, back in the day you could get lounge membership funded by the commonwealth depending on your travel requirements - from my understanding that was removed as status credits could get you lounge membership for free if you flew enough.

 

[papeto]

And to add fuel to the fire - I am not surprised AJ jumped at the oppurtunity to get a few words in with the PM. Or was it because this flight actually takes off on time?

Qantas boss thumbs a ride on the PM’s plane

Forget the Gulfstream and the Global Express: Anthony Albanese’s prime ministerial plane is now the most exclusive shuttle service going.

www.afr.com

 

[harvyk]

I don't think the average Aussie battler is found inside any airport lounge.

Airport lounge? probably not.
Airport terminal? absolutely.

it's all about politicians getting more benefits; the fact it costs more to prevent it means nothing to them.

Yeap, can't be seen to be giving politicians a thing.

I have a real problem when politicians give money to their "local community" as a pure pork barreling exercise.
I have a real problem when large infrastructure projects are green lit / handed over to private firms belonging to "mates" without a fair tender process.

These are the real things that politicians need to be held responsible for.

Getting a few perks (like some free booze and a serving of S&P squid) because of the job is not what concerns me (but look at any trash rag and that's what they often try to hit politicians up with).

 

[HonourableMister]

It's not just the pollies getting in the CL - they bring their band of advisers and consultants, all often young, eager to snap pics of the menu etc for their personal grams. Jealous? Maybe... but I just find it funny all these 'we work for the people' cohort underneath it all think they're the rockstars and celebrities

 

[Ade]

they bring their band of advisers and consultants, all often young, eager to snap pics of the menu etc for their personal grams.

This could be true ... but I always thought that only one of those advisors accompany the politician and the other went to the J/QC lounge? I could be wrong. The reason I say this is because in a recent CBR-MEL, Mr. Dutton & who I assume is one of his aides were in J and all his other aides were in Y (4D, 5C, 5D). I was in 4F. Makes me think that not all aides get to go into the CL all the time?

 

[jb747]

Politicians, and any form of public servant, should be given nothing by companies. The companies aren’t giving anything away out of the goodness of their hearts (which we know they don’t have), so even if not called bribes/corruption, it comes from the same page of the book.

Equally politicians should get nothing after they leave the job. Especially if they’ve lost their seat, which is exactly the same as having been fired. No cars, no travel allowances. Nothing.

 

[Hvr]

Equally politicians should get nothing after they leave the job. Especially if they’ve lost their seat, which is exactly the same as having been fired

Agree, politicians are contract employees. They're engaged for the term of the parliament and the election is basically their performance appraisal.

Seriously, who else gets paid when their contract isn't renewed, especially for incompetence?

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/taxpayers-to-foot-2m-resettlement-allowance-for-mps-who-lost-in-federal-election/news-story/1114b01da5dc30d75f70710caabb4e19

The redundancy payout, capped at six months pay, is available to any MP who loses preselection for the election or any sitting MP who loses their seat.

 

[Travel_Mate]

I don't think the average Aussie battler is found inside any airport lounge.



Who's going to challenge it?

Most wouldn't know that both of the major parties maintain a private database of constituents, sourced from the electoral roll. The good offices are meticulous at tracking enquiries from constituents. If you phone or write a letter, for example, that's logged in the private database. The Liberal Party's is called Feedback. I forget the name of Labor's. There a multitude of tags that can be assigned to a person. When I first viewed my entry, it showed I was a strong voter for a particular party. It was wrong, but that's by the by.





Last time I checked, the guidelines for federal parliamentarians and their staff simply say 'You don't earn points', not that you're prohibited from doing so. It's like saying 'You don't eat meat'. Then one day, suddenly, you do. In other words, points can (and are) earned but it's very much the exception, not the norm.





First class travel has been out for many years (at least a decade). I'm not aware on a prohibition on taking F upgrades, but if a parliamentarian does, they are supposed to declare it on the Register of Members' Interests and the Register of Senators' Interests. A cursory glance at both will show that not all politicians who have Chairmans Lounge membership actually declare it. There's no policing, because the police are the policitians themselves.

(Incidentally, I don't understand why Qantas spells it "Chairmans Lounge" and not "Chairman's Lounge".)







Not correct on the earning. See above.

It was indeed Lindsay Tanner who gave a parting middle finger to his colleagues.

I've noted it on this forum more than once before (as this subject is like a merry-go-round), I've stood face-to-face with Alan Joyce at a function at parliament house and been told it costs Qantas more to ensure the points don't post, then to actually award the points. Of course, to 99% of Australians, it's all about politicians getting more benefits; the fact it costs more to prevent it means nothing to them.



Former speaker Peter Slipper had a name for (among other things, obviously) dropping by the CBR lounge for more than the odd meal, even when he wasn't travelling.



As above.

"I've noted it on this forum more than once before (as this subject is like a merry-go-round), I've stood face-to-face with Alan Joyce at a function at parliament house and been told it costs Qantas more to ensure the points don't post, then to actually award the points."

Then what is the benefit of Qantas offering such huge discounts to Government travellers? Surely there's a way they could automate this process, especially given a return J ticket to the US is worth circa 50k points....

 

[Hvr]

Some useful information re WoAG travel.

https://www.finance.gov.au/government/travel-arrangements

https://www.finance.gov.au/government/travel-arrangements/fly-air-travel

Reward Points

Also known as Frequent Flyer Points (FFPs), reward points are used to purchase flights, upgrades and items from the airline 's website. Reward points are not awarded for travel booked through the WoAG Travel Arrangements.

 

[CaptJCool]

I have a real problem when politicians give money to their "local community" as a pure pork barreling exercise.

It’s only pork barrelling when they do it. says the SA ALP Infrastructure minister. When we hand out money, it’s perfectly normal to reward ONLY our voters

did you see Alan Joyce fail the “Summit check-in”? Rubbing shoulders with the govt pollies....

 

[Danger]

This could be true ... but I always thought that only one of those advisors accompany the politician and the other went to the J/QC lounge? I could be wrong. The reason I say this is because in a recent CBR-MEL, Mr. Dutton & who I assume is one of his aides were in J and all his other aides were in Y (4D, 5C, 5D). I was in 4F. Makes me think that not all aides get to go into the CL all the time?

In federal politics, staffers at the senior adviser and chief of staff level are entitled to J travel. Those at adviser and below is Y. This is for domestic travel.

"I've noted it on this forum more than once before (as this subject is like a merry-go-round), I've stood face-to-face with Alan Joyce at a function at parliament house and been told it costs Qantas more to ensure the points don't post, then to actually award the points."

Then what is the benefit of Qantas offering such huge discounts to Government travellers? Surely there's a way they could automate this process, especially given a return J ticket to the US is worth circa 50k points....

I don't know the answer although I would guess it may have something to do with securing a big chunk of cash. That said, parliamentarians (and presumably other federal bureaucrats) are free to fly VA.

 

[andye]

Matt is on ABC Sydney radio discussing this now

 

[Danger]

Matt is on ABC Sydney radio discussing this now

Matt who?

 

[andye]

Matt who?

AFF editor @Mattg
It was a quite lengthy discussion around the original post of this thread (though he may have a target on his back from QF and the pollies)

 

[Hvr]

Matt is on ABC Sydney radio discussing this now

AFF editor @Mattg
It was a quite lengthy discussion around the original post of this thread (though he may have a target on his back from QF and the pollies)

Listen here: Interview starts about 1'35".

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