Anthony Albanese denies 'absurd' Qantas 'conspiracy theory' after Qatar Airways controversy

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hit back at criticism over his meeting with former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce just weeks before the airline submitted plans from rival airline Qatar to boost local flights to be rejected.

Asked what was discussed at the November 2022 meeting, Mr Albanese called the controversy an “absurdity” and that meeting with the outgoing Qantas chief had been on the agenda since September 2023.

“I have answered questions in Parliament saying that, and I repeat it again now: Qatar was not discussed, nor were probably ten to fifteen air service agreements and applications from various airlines at the time.” said Mr Albanese.

'What Alan Joyce came to see me about – as did the heads of BHP, the heads of the Business Council of Australia and a range of others – was the industrial relations legislation that was being discussed at the time.

“The coalition must stop their nonsense of conspiracy theories.”

Mr Albanese said the Coalition had sided with Mr Joyce in defending what the then Qantas boss had called “unfair labor practices” which undermined business negotiations, and that Mr Joyce had also met with independent Senator David Pocock.

The criticism of the meeting followed the publication on Wednesday of the Prime Minister's diary, which, although protested by the Prime Minister's Office, confirmed the meeting between Mr Joyce and Mr Albanese.

The date of the meeting was previously detailed in documents Qantas submitted to a Senate inquiry into the cost of living in September, and took place six weeks before the airline's submission regarding Qatari airlines.

The embattled national carrier submitted to the Ministry of Transport in October that year that the Middle Eastern airline's proposal to expand regional services should be rejected by the government.

Ultimately, the government decided to reject Qatar Airlines' bid for 28 additional weekly flights to the country's major cities. The move only came to light a week later and was widely criticized.

Mr Albanese has repeatedly and empathetically denied that he made the decision to block the application, nor that he received any lobbying, with the call ultimately reaching Transport Minister Catherine King.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton renewed the coalition's attacks on the government on Thursday and called on the prime minister to come clean on “serious questions” about the rejection of Qatar's bid.

Ultimately, the government decided to reject Qatar Airlines' bid for 28 additional weekly flights to the country's major cities

“I think there are some serious questions that the Prime Minister needs to answer here because the decision has had a direct negative impact on the traveling public,” Dutton told Nine Radio.

“It appears that (Mr Albanese) met with the CEO and would certainly have lobbied on behalf of his company on this issue, and the Prime Minister did not want us to know about it.”

The minister's decision to reject the application ultimately sparked significant controversy, fueling claims that the government was stifling competition in the aviation sector and ensuring Qantas retained its share of the Australian aviation market.

A Coalition-led Senate inquiry into the matter, which Ms King refused to participate in, recommended that the government immediately review its decision.

In December, the Albanian government approved an application from Turkish Airlines to increase flight capacity to Australia to 35 flights per week, strengthening connections with Europe.