E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Topics: Qantas flight upgrades; gifts register; Senate inquiry; support for Qantas workers; Donald Trump rally; cost of living; 2025 election.
KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: Welcome back to the show. There are calls for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and former Qantas boss Alan Joyce to explain undisclosed flight upgrades in front of a Senate inquiry. Joining us to discuss Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth and Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie here in the studio. Ladies, good morning. First up, Amanda. Anything you want to confess this morning?
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Well, firstly, that's what a Parliamentary register is for, to register any gifts that are given to you. But you know, quite frankly, I think this has been a complete pile on the Prime Minister. I mean it's been. He's publicly declared very, very clearly what he has been gifted, as has other MPs and I think the pile on from the Coalition really shows that. I think there's something to… if you’re in a glass house, don't throw stones. We've seen many other MPs declare upgrades and, and rightly so, and they need to declare them. But Peter Dutton’s taken upgrades. Bridget McKenzie’s taken upgrades. You know, this is needs to be declared on the public.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Did you, have you ever rung, or did you ever ring Alan Joyce directly for an upgrade?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Me personally, no. No, I haven't rung Alan Joyce for any upgrades. But you know, quite frankly. Well, no, that is not something that I've done. I have been housebound. I haven't gone very many places. I've got two young kids so I don't get to travel as much as some other people. But no, that's not something that I've done and I don't know if Bridget has either.
KARL STEFANOVIC: No, I'm going to ask Bridget because, I mean, it wasn't your most convincing answer, Amanda. I mean, this is a pretty simple question, Bridget. Did you ever ring anyone in management?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well I haven’t.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE, SENATOR: I think that you raised the actual essential problem, Karl. Amanda's answers aside, this is a serious problem. The questions raised in Joe Astin's book. The problem is that I don't know of another Transport Minister who had a hotline to the CEO of Qantas to request freebies for family holidays. That's actually what we're dealing with here.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Soliciting.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Absolutely.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Alright and....
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Big difference between receiving a gift and declaring it, Amanda.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Have you ever rung, Bridget? You haven't answered the question.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: I'm happy to answer it, Amanda. There's a difference to receive a gift and declare it on your register to actually getting on the blower and saying, listen, mate, the missus and I are going overseas on a holiday. How about upgrading those economy tickets? That's what's happened when he's the Minister regulating the aviation sector, Karl. So, in charge of CASA, in charge of funding airports and, you know, Air Services Australia. So, it's a serious job being Transport Minister. And he seemed to be soliciting freebies.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Did you ever ring Alan Joyce or anyone in Qantas Manager?
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: I do not have a hotline to request upgrades. I have received an upgrade in 2018 that I declared, but to my knowledge, no Transport Minister other than Anthony Albanese has done this.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Do you think there should be a Senate inquiry or is it all just there, out in the open anyway?
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: No, Karl, I think people are rightly furious about this. They were furious last year. Qantas tried to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars of COVID flight credits from their customers, sacked 1,700 workers, had driven prices up, cancellation and delays in the wrong direction. And the Prime Minister, at every step, he could do something about competition, has blocked Qatar Airways reporting on cancellation and delays, etc. He's been running a protection racket, Karl. And they blocked last year, Alan Joyce coming before the Senate. So, we think it's a fair amount.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Amanda, what did you think about a Senate inquiry? I mean, could they change?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I'm going to completely reject that. I'm going to completely reject that. If you look at who has sided with Qantas workers, much to the dismay of Qantas management, it has been the Labor Government. Our same job…
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: So, bring back Alan Joyce. Let's get him before the Senate.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Our Same Job, Same Pay legislation has ensured that contractors at Qantas have had a $30,000 pay increase. Now, Qantas management didn't like that. And Bridget…
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: So, let's get him before us. And ask those questions.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Your party sided with Qantas management on that legislation and you're promising to repeal it. I mean, that is not fair for workers. We've stood by workers while they were made redundant, fighting for those workers at Qantas and stood by during the pandemic. And you let them be sacked.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Let's keep rolling. I wanted to pick up something yesterday at Donald Trump's rally in New York. It raised the question I think a lot of Aussies are going to be asking themselves come May of next year and I can see this on a billboard come the lead up to the next election. It's pretty effective. Have a look.
[IN CLIP] DONALD TRUMP: And I'd like to begin by asking a very simple question. Are you better off now than you were four years ago?
KARL STEFANOVIC: It is. It is an effective line, Amanda. If Aussies ask themselves that and what do you think they're going to say?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, look, I would say that our Government has worked every single day to support the Australian people, whether it's been bringing down inflation, responsible budget management, making sure that we're repairing the deficits and the deficit that was left by the Liberal Party.
KARL STEFANOVIC: I don't think that's how Aussies are going to respond.
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: Not feeling it, Amanda.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, we have been working. We have been working every single day for the Australian people. We have been looking at how we fix the mess that was left by the Liberal Party, whether that's by the deficits, whether that be the inflation problem that we were left with. We've worked every single day supporting people with cost-of-living measures, many in which the Liberal Party tried to block. Housing, looking at housing, Liberal Party's blocking that as well. I think people will compare the two parties and look and say that one party, the Labor Party, is looking after that.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Are you better off three than you were three years ago?
BRIDGET MCKENZIE: A very short answer, Karl. Absolutely not. They know it, we know it and we look forward to taking that to the election.
KARL STEFANOVIC: Watch that space. Good on you. Thank you, ladies. Appreciate it. Sarah.