A coalition senator has refused to rule out the specter of jail for former Qantas boss Alan Joyce if he refuses to seem at an inquiry into the blocking of additional flights from Qatar.
In a rare escalation, senators confirmed they might summon Joyce when he subsequent returns to Australia and wouldn’t rule out additional authorized motion if he doesn’t comply.
It capped a tense morning of questioning, with senior transport bureaucrats stonewalling makes an attempt to launch inner paperwork in regards to the authorities’s resolution to dam Qatar Airways’ bid to double its flights to Australia.
The coalition declared solely Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Transport Minister Catherine King and Joyce may clarify why the choice was made.
Requested twice if they might critically think about attempting to jail Joyce if he didn’t adjust to the summons, Senator Bridget McKenzie wouldn’t rule it out.
“There are a complete raft of processes inside the standing orders and the procedures of the Senate which can ultimately make it very onerous for former CEO Joyce to not seem,” she advised reporters.
“He sought to tear his clients off, pocket over half a billion {dollars} price of COVID flight credit, offered tickets to ghost flights and who certainly illegally sacked 1700 staff … this was no abnormal CEO.”
The Senate may theoretically jail somebody discovered to be in contempt for as much as six months.
Joyce had advised the Senate committee he couldn’t attend their inquiry in particular person or through video hyperlink as a result of private obligations whereas abroad, and will solely be formally summoned as soon as again in Australia.
The inquiry is because of report by October 9 however the parliamentary committee has indicated it intends to summon Joyce no matter whether or not he returns earlier than that date.
McKenzie additionally formally invited King to entrance the probe, after her workplace was caught instructing a senior Transport Division official to not reply one of many inquiry’s questions on a gathering with Joyce.
“MO (minister’s workplace) view is it’s not for the division to reply re the minister’s diary the query needs to be directed to the minister,” the textual content despatched from her workplace to deputy secretary Marisa Purvis-Smith learn.
That prompted a stinging rebuke from annoyed Coalition Senator Simon Birmingham.
“If Minister King’s workplace is saying ‘get stuffed’ when her personal division is searching for to supply info to this committee, then Minister King ought to entrance up herself,” he advised the inquiry.
“It’s utterly unacceptable.”
The inquiry uncovered that Qatar had formally requested the Albanese authorities to rethink its resolution to dam the additional flights.
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It was advised Australia acquired the formal request in August and had 60 days to reply.
Australian Qatar Enterprise Council chair Simon Harrison stated the choice to dam the extra flights was irritating, including there was a “excessive chance” there was a sweetheart deal between Qantas and the federal government.
-with AAP
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