Nathan Albanese Qantas Chairman’s Lounge: Three questions facing the Prime Minister and the airline over an exclusive pass

Serious questions have been raised about why Anthony Albanese’s 22-year-old son has been given access to Qantas’ exclusive Chairman’s Lounge.

Nathan Albanese – the only son of the prime minister and his ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt – was recently spotted in one of the national airline’s guest rooms.

Membership in the Chairman’s Lounge is usually reserved for celebrities, businessmen and major politicians, and visitors are said to be personally selected by the CEO, Alan Joyce.

The reveal – first reported by the Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston — sparked anger on talkback radio Thursday morning and sparked a series of questions that have yet to be answered by the Prime Minister or Qantas.

Those include why Qantas granted access, why Mr Albanese failed to declare the hospitality extended to his son on an official register of interests, whether the lounge pass was granted for security reasons.

The invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge is so exclusive that Qantas has only recently acknowledged its existence on its website. Members include Australia’s top CEOs, A-list celebrities and politicians

“It’s something that needs to be made public,” Mr Aston told Sydney’s 2GB Radio presenter Ben Fordham this morning.

“The only reason the gift is being offered and accepted is because he is the son of the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister is an official who, along with his cabinet members, must effectively regulate the airline.”

“And the government is not effectively regulating Qantas. I think consumers can see that very clearly.”

“Is it a coincidence that Qantas has absolute control over the regulatory environment?”

Mr Aston referred to how Australia’s Competition and Consumer Competition (ACCC) was ‘stripped of controlling airline prices’ despite being asked for further funding.

He added that the apparently cozy relationship between Qantas and elected politicians was not exclusive to Mr Albanese’s government – he accused both coalition and past Labor governments of being under Qantas’ thumb.

“This is a multi-generational thing, politicians have always been in the pocket of Qantas,” Mr Aston said.

Each side of politics is giving Qantas what it wants.

“There always seems to be one line for Qantas and one line for someone else.”

The invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge is so exclusive that Qantas has only recently acknowledged its existence on its website.

Outgoing Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (pictured) is believed to personally manage the Chairman’s Lounge membership list

Mr Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon befriend outgoing Qantas CEO Alan Joyce

There are six at airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, discreetly hidden from the traveling public.

Members enjoy plush leather sofas, dining from a buffet or à la carte menu, a 24-hour complementary bar, and most importantly, peace and quiet.

Mr Aston asked both Qantas and the Prime Minister’s office who had ensured Mr Albanese’s son joined this top club, but received no response. Daily Mail Australia’s questions have also gone unanswered.

“Did any of them really think that a university student barging into the Chairman’s Lounge like a lord wouldn’t stand out as dog balls?” Mr. Aston wrote in his column.

Despite being critical of Mr Albanese on the matter, Mr Aston was even more damning of Qantas.

“This is how they do it, and why Qantas gets what it wants from the government, whenever it wants it,” he said.

“Therefore, no matter how badly the company treats Australian voters, the officials that voters depend on to hold the company accountable may look the other way.”

Mr Aston’s column claims Qantas has received more complaints to the Australian Competition and Consumer Competition than any other company for the second year in a row.

There are six airport lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, discreetly hidden from the scum

Members of the Chairman’s Lounge (pictured) can enjoy plush leather sofas, dining from a buffet or à la carte menu, a 24-hour bar and, above all, peace and quiet

It is not the first time that a prime minister’s descendants have been granted an exclusive benefit or privilege.

In 2014, Frances Abbott, the daughter of Tony Abbott, was awarded a board fellowship at the Whitehouse Institute of Design.

It was revealed that one of the board of directors of the Whitehouse Institute of Design had donated to Mr. Abbott during his tenure.

The Prime Minister’s son, Nathan, has largely stayed out of the spotlight.

He was pictured hugging his father on election night last year, with the first-term prime minister thanking his son during his victory speech and calling him his ‘good luck charm’.

“To my proudest achievement, my son, Nathan. Thank you, mate, for your love and support,” the new prime minister said.

Prior to the election, the couple were still living together in one of Mr Albanese’s several properties in gentrifying Marrickville in Sydney’s inner west.

The Labor leader revealed that he always made sure to check in with his son on a daily basis despite the increasing demands placed on his time.

Mr. Albanese pictured with his 23-year-old son Nathan and his current partner Jodie Haydon

“I have a way of making sure I talk to my son every day, and that’s a good luck charm for me,” he said.

‘We are close, we live together. He also spends time with his mother. But I am very proud of him. He has developed into a very fine young man.’

The father of one child admitted he ‘didn’t see it coming’ when former NSW Deputy Prime Minister Ms Tebbutt decided to end their marriage on New Year’s Day 2019.

Nathan had just completed his HSC exams and was 18 when Mrs. Tebbutt ended the marriage.

Alan Joyce, the outgoing CEO of Qantas, recently sold a four-bedroom sandstone house at 12 Musgrave Street in Mosman, on Sydney’s lower north shore, for reportedly $20 million (pictured)

The couple had been in a relationship for 30 years – married for 19 years – and raised Nathan together.

Nathan reportedly graduated last year after studying business and marketing at the University of Technology Sydney.

It was reported on Saturday that outgoing Qantas CEO Mr Joyce had sold his Federation-era mansion in one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs for an undisclosed price reportedly in excess of $20 million.

He had bought the four-bedroom sandstone house at 12 Musgrave Street in Mosman, on Sydney’s lower north shore, last March with husband Shane Lloyd.

The couple purchased the Mosman home for $19 million before giving the home’s interior a makeover with the help of design firm Levine Vokaberg.

While the exact price of the sale is unknown, a source told Domain it was well above the $20 million price.