Opposition turns up heat over Qatar refusal and Qantas upgrades

The Coalition plans to use Senate estimates this week to press senior bureaucrats on whether the Prime Minister had a hand in the decision to block additional Qatar Airways flights. As reported in The Australian, Liberal Senators Richard Colbeck and Simon Birmingham last week sent a letter to Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Glyn Davis advising her to be prepared for questions on PM Anthony Albanese’s ties to Qantas. The letter seen by the newspaper indicates Professor Davis will be asked whether the PM or anyone from his office “interfered to protect Qantas”, including whether officials from PM&C met with Qantas or discussed Qatar’s application for more capacity before Transport Minister Catherine King made her decision to reject it, and whether the PM or his office made any instructions or opinions clear to Minister King regarding the application. Qatar had asked the government for an extra 21 flights per week into Australia’s four major airports of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, an application Minister King denied on “national interest” grounds. “We note that some of these questions may require liaison between PM&C and the PMO, which is a key reason advance notice is being provided, along with copying this correspondence to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff,” the senators wrote. The renewed focus on Qatar Airways comes as politicians from both parties face questions about free Qantas flight upgrades and other benefits.<br/>