The cover-up is always worse than the crime. A lesson no political party ever seems to learn.
Albo’s Qantas cronyism is now abusing human rights issues to protect itself:
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has hinted that the real reason why Australia blocked more flights from Qatar is linked to the invasive strip-searches of women at Qatar airport.
Three years ago, multiple Australian women were stripsearched by authorities at a Qatari airport after a premature baby was found in a bathroom.
An outrage, most certainly. But why is it being recycled as the reason for blocking Qatar routes into Australia when they still fly here?
This is the political abuse of the abuse of human rights. Hang your head, Penny Wong.
Meanwhile, the transport minister keeps digging her hole deeper:
Transport Minister Catherine King has promised to deal with anti-competitive behaviour by airlines at the country’s largest airport “shortly” after releasing a report into aviation that acknowledged competition concerns but provided little in the way of solutions.
As the board cronies try to ride it out:
Had the now departed Qantas CEO Alan Joyce left in 2019, as was originally touted, he would have been lauded a hero by the airline’s shareholders, after a successful turnaround and more than a decade at the helm.
Instead, Goyder gave Joyce an open-ended extension and failed to sense when it was time to move the longstanding chief on. Any director will tell you that is one of the chairman’s most important jobs.
As my colleague Kylar Loussikian reported, when Joyce finally pulled the pin at a hastily convened board meeting on Sunday night, most of the board were unprepared. Maxine Brenner was on holidays, Antony Tyler was in France and Goyder was at home in Perth.
Who knew what and when about about the various Qantas frauds? How can the CFO and chair there at the time possibly shepherd the airline clear of the scandals now?
Importantly for all, the Qalbo alliance is more manna from heaven for the Opposition. It is making Peter Dutton into a Demosthenes people’s champion:
This will make it much worse for airline and government:
- the board and probably new CEO will have to go,
- Albo will have to backflip and sell them out, or he will go down with them,
- Qantas profit will be smashed by much higher competition than it would have faced, and
- shareholder lawsuits are assured.
