Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Treasurer for his compliment! My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister detail discussions he or his office has had with the Qantas CEO Alan Joyce or with other senior Qantas directors or executives concerning the sweetheart deal that has blocked Qatar Airways from additional flights to and from Australia, affecting exporters and Australians, who have to pay thousands of dollars more for air travel?

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't know the answer to that.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know that, Catherine!

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Members on my left and right! The minister for infrastructure will cease interjecting. The Prime Minister will be heard in silence.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow trade minister for his question. The shadow trade minister doesn't know that freight is unlimited. It's unlimited on any airline, anywhere, any time, and he asks a question about the impact of—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will pause. The Member for Page has asked his question. He is warned. He will not interject on the Prime Minister for this answer, or he'll leave the chamber.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying before with regard to this question on this issue of Qatar, I'll make two points. One is that the deal that was asked for in February 2018 took not that term but till January 2022 to come into place. That was an interesting deal because it wasn't just over flights. What they did on that deal was put in a safeguarding mechanism, a special thing which other countries did not have to do, to safeguard Australia's national interest. That was put in the agreement between Australia and Qatar. Unlike any agreement that was made during the six years in which I was a minister, there was a special agreement put in, and I agree with the actions of the transport minister.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will pause. The Manager of Opposition Business?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a very specific question about the discussions the Prime Minister has had with Qantas's chief executive, senior directors or executives. The Prime Minister is conspicuously avoiding dealing with that matter. If he doesn't have an answer, he should be—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat. The Prime Minister is being relevant under the standing orders. He's speaking in great detail about the arrangements of deals regarding the airlines mentioned. You mightn't like the answer, but the Prime Minister is being relevant.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This updated deal was a special arrangement between Australia and Qatar, because the Australian government at the time was clearly concerned about an abuse of market power. I assume that's why it was put into the agreement. That is something that I do not think has been put out there—I don't think there was a media release done at the time—but that was done because of the special circumstances which are there. If you want to keep asking questions about this, I'll go through the whole answer.

I had one extensive conversation with someone about Qatar. It was not someone from Qantas. In terms of the arrangements that are made, the truth is that a lot of the time, when these agreements are put in, they are deferred. There is nothing unusual about that. Indeed, when I was a minister, Qatar had their access doubled from seven to 14 flights in February 2009. There's an aviation green paper process underway to make sure that we get all of the settings right, just as, when I was a minister, I put in place the green paper and white paper which set Australia up with the most competitive aviation market in the world, bar none.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Treasurer and the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government will cease interjecting.