Richard Marles $3.6million RAAF flight bill: Defence minister defends trips

Richard Marles has defended his $3.6 million RAAF VIP flight bill, claiming security concerns could prevent taxpayers from learning the full details of the trips.

Defense Minister Marles, who is also acting as prime minister while Anthony Albanese attends a G20 summit in Italy, was asked about the extent of his non-commercial flights during an appearance on Sky News on Sunday morning.

“Everywhere I have gone, I have gone above and beyond in the pursuit of my duties on behalf of the Australian people,” Mr Marles said.

“So I stand by every flight I’ve made, whether it’s on a specialty aircraft or commercial.”

Mr Marles has faced intense pressure to share more details about the trips with the Senate, giving the defense secretary until September 13 to release more information.

He claimed that the VIP flights he authorized were not just for him.

“There are a lot of people flying in those planes, my direct contribution to them is a fraction of that number,” he said.

Under sustained criticism from Sky News presenter Andrew Clennell, Mr Marles said he flies commercially from Canberra to Geelong and “usually” makes such flights.

Mr Marles defended keeping the extent of his flights secret for security reasons, even though he was “obviously keen to see as much information as possible revealed”.

“We will release as much information as possible within the limits of the national security advice,” he said.

“And the problem there and the concern that the national security agencies have is about not disclosing patterns of behavior that then become a target.”

Documents released under freedom of information laws show Mr Marles spent about $3.6 million on the flights between April 2022 and June 2023.

The Minister of Defense has requested SSeptember 13 to provide more information about the flights, after the Coalition and the Greens joined forces in the Senate.

National Senator Bridget McKenzie has called on Mr Marles to be more forthcoming about his travel arrangements.

After a rare collaboration between the Coalition and the Greens in the Senate, Mr Marles has been ordered to provide more details about his flights

Transport Minister Catherine King’s decision to prevent Qatar Airways from competing with Qantas on some Australian routes has sparked much debate

“I mean, if he has nothing to hide, then be honest and transparent,” she told Sky News Australia on Sunday.

“The government has talked a lot about transparency and accountability as it sought elections, and they have done nothing but cover-up for their ministers about their decisions and for their friends.”

As acting Prime Minister, Mr Marles also faced pressure over the Albanian government’s decision to deny Qatar Airways more domestic routes.

While Mr Marles said the government wants to see “greater access” to the Australian market to allow for greater competition, he defended Transport Minister Catherine King’s decision to curtail the extra flights as it was in the national interest.

“In essence, the decision goes to the heart of our aviation interests,” he said.

However, when pressed, he declined to give more detailed reasons.

“There are good reasons why you’re not going to specify those reasons in an interview like this,” he said.

Despite reports, Ms King consulted with colleagues before making the decision. Mr Marles said he was not one of them and “the decision is the responsibility of the Minister for Transport”.

Critics say the refusal showed the government was too close to Qantas because Albanese was friends with the airline’s recently departed CEO Alan Joyce.

It has been revealed that Mr Albanese’s son Nathan has been given use of the exclusive, invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge, while Qantas is also an enthusiastic supporter of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, offering free flights to Yes advocates .