In a frankly pathetic attempt to distract from his own problems, the Prime Minister today played man and not ball by falsely accusing the author of The Chairman’s Lounge of failing to disclose his past links to the Liberal Party.
Joe Aston’s book revealed Anthony Albanese’s penchant for calling former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce for free business class upgrades on personal flights. On no less than 22 occasions.
Aston briefly worked for the Liberal Party a lifetime ago.
“I see no statements that he is a former member of the Liberal Party,” Albanese said today at a press conference.
“I see no statements that he is a former Qantas employee.”
In fact, Aston’s new book makes both claims, in the first line of the first page, as the author pointed out on social media, posting the page as proof.
Aston also rightly called the Prime Minister “beyond desperate”.
That description, however, does not go far enough in condemning Albo’s attempt to return his problems to the author who exposed them.
I’m surprised Albo can’t see what he’s done wrong here. Instead, he attacks and in the process digs an even deeper hole for himself, writes Peter van Onselen.
Joe Aston’s book revealed Anthony Albanese’s penchant for calling former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce for free business class upgrades on personal flights. On no less than 22 occasions.
It was disingenuous, dirty and highlights how low this Prime Minister is willing to stoop when pressed.
Former radio host Neil Mitchell tweeted that the Prime Minister should apologize to Aston, which of course he won’t.
If Albo is too stubborn to admit that he sought business class upgrades while the Transport Minister was in the wrong, he certainly won’t pick up the phone and apologize for his latest mistake.
Instead of reflecting on his past conduct, the prime minister attempted to shoot the messenger.
It was a frankly pathetic attempt to deflect attention – the kind of action one would expect, frankly, from someone who would pester the CEO of an airline for gifts despite a perceived conflict of interest.
Albanese did it while he was Minister of Transport and responsible for aviation, for God’s sake! He also did so while he was Labour’s shadow transport spokesman and during his time as opposition leader.
Aston revealed his brief time as a Liberal Party staffer despite having since forged a successful and high-profile journalism career, skewering politicians from both sides of the party’s main divide.
No one could reasonably claim that Aston has had even slight contact with liberals since he turned to journalism. Some of his most scathing comments have been directed at Scott Morrison, for example.
I’m surprised Albo can’t see what he’s done wrong here. Instead, he attacks and digs an even deeper hole in the process.
Perhaps the Prime Minister doesn’t think he can admit the error of his past ways and is suggesting reforms to ensure no one else does the same in the future. That would highlight that he’s the kind of person who needs definitive rules to not do the wrong thing because otherwise that’s where his instincts take him.
I am glad to be one of Albo’s advisors at this time. Did any of them give you the Aston attack line? Or did you come up with that degrading, callow idea on your own?
No first-term government has lost a re-election bid since 1931. To maintain that streak, Labor’s top traders need to find a way to flush Albanese’s personal brand out of the toilet.
Make no mistake, that is precisely where it is now. Comments like those made about Aston practically throw Albo’s brand into the gutter.
I bet Team Albo can’t wait for next week’s US presidential election to divert attention from this issue.
But the damage has already been done and it will not be easy to forget.
Anthony Albanese pictured with his partner, former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce (right)
How do you sell a Prime Minister who spent the last decade calling the CEO of Qantas to request business class upgrades on personal flights?
It’s incomprehensible that he doesn’t think doing so was wrong on any level. Although he was the Transport Minister responsible for the aviation sector when he did it.
And what Albo did was most likely also a violation of the ministerial code of conduct of the time.
Kevin Rudd set out the code for his ministers in December 2007. It stated that: “Ministers must exercise the functions of their public offices without being affected by considerations of personal advantage.”
How does that square with Albo’s constant requests for flight improvements while he was Minister of Transport?
The code continues: “Ministers, in their official capacity, may therefore accept customary official gifts, hospitality, tokens of gratitude and similar formal gestures in accordance with the relevant guidelines, but must not seek or encourage any form of gift in their personal sphere”. ability.’
It’s that last part about not seeking personal gifts that likely causes Albo to break the rules by requesting flight upgrades on personal vacations for himself and his family.
And while the Prime Minister claims he complied with disclosure requirements, we now know he did not disclose the enhancements granted to his wife at the time, as the rules require.
Albo is now a liability to the Labor Party’s chances of winning the next election. Simply put, the government’s chances of winning would increase if it said goodbye and retired to its recently acquired $4.3 million oceanfront mansion.
But Albo won’t do that. Although during your retirement you will be entitled to the exclusive gold travel card as part of the old and generous parliamentary pension scheme that will guarantee you a certain number of business class flights each year.
And you won’t even have to blatantly degrade yourself by calling the CEO every time you want a free business class flight to ask (beg?) for it.