Anthony Albanese has attacked the author of a book claiming the Prime Minister used a personal connection with former Qantas boss Alan Joyce to secure lucrative upgrades for himself and his relatives.
Albanese also attacked opposition critics, accusing them of not fully disclosing how they enjoyed billionaire-funded private jet trips, while claiming that unlike other unnamed MPs, he had done nothing wrong.
The claim that Albanese approached Joyce to receive special upgrades that only the CEO could grant is contained in the new book The Chairman’s Lounge by former Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston.
At a news conference in the New South Wales city of Newcastle on Tuesday, Albanese claimed Aston was using the allegations to sell books and hide his connection to the Liberal Party.
“I just want to point out that the person trying to sell a book is pretty fair,” Mr. Albanese said.
‘I see no statements that he is a former Liberal Party staffer for several senior members of the Liberal party, including Joe Hockey and Bruce Baird.
“I don’t see any statements in June, just a few months ago he and John Howard were invited to a Liberal Party fundraiser in the Wentworth electorate.”
Aston responded on social media by noting that he wrote about his work with Baird in the opening chapter of The Chairman’s Lounge.
“It is revealed in the first line of the first page of the book and has never been a secret,” Mr Aston wrote.
“This is beyond desperate on the part of the prime minister.”
Albanese also took aim at opposition leader Peter Dutton.
Anthony Albanese (pictured left) has been forced to deny he personally called former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce (pictured right) for updates.
“My flights were commercial with Qantas, Virgin or Emirates,” Albanese said.
‘They were all declared appropriately. I haven’t had to declare any flights on private jets owned by billionaires like Gina Rinehart because I haven’t made it as simple as that.
“It is up to Mr Dutton to explain how these flights to private groups were organised.”
In June, Mr Dutton was flown on Ms Rinehart’s private jet to an event in the New South Wales town of Tamworth.
Dutton was “obsessed” with attacking him personally, Albanese claimed.
“Peter Dutton seems to be obsessed with attacking me and my family,” Albanese said.
“My obsession is helping Australians every day.”
Albanese also suggested that some MPs were hiding their possessions in trusts.
“I don’t have a trust, I have never had shares in any company,” he said.
“It is for others to say why they have trusts, why we do not know what they own or what they invest in. I have not done that, I have acted with integrity.”
The Prime Minister also denied frequently asking Joyce for improvements.
“The only conversations I remember with Alan Joyce certainly weren’t over calls – we talked about the first flight from Australia to Dubai on the A380,” he said.
Albanese has accused former Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston (pictured) of hiding his associations with the Liberal Party.
“I have declared everything in accordance with all the rules and I note that there are others who, to my knowledge, have not necessarily declared all the flights they have taken.”
Albanese said the allegations lacked specific details.
“If there are any suggestions to be made, let them be made specifically and I will respond to them,” he said.
The Australian Financial Review reported on Tuesday morning that Albanese failed to declare thousands of dollars in business class flight upgrades he gifted his ex-wife for her personal trips.
Albanese and his ex-wife, New South Wales politician Carmel Tebbutt, traveled to Los Angeles, Honolulu and Europe between 2009 and 2013, while he was transport minister, opposition transport spokesperson and opposition leader.
The couple received upgrades from economy class to business class, which Albanese declared in his official register of interests, from Qantas and its airline partner Emirates.