Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Green, representing the government in the Senate this afternoon, is very, very wrong. Senator Green has characterised this as a politically motivated attack on the government. That is very wrong. This is a consumer motivated attack on the government. This is a competition motivated attack on the government. Senator Green says that the government will not be held to lectures by us on accountability and transparency. In August last year, the leader of the government, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, said that his government would be one characterised by transparency and accountability and not secrecy—not a lecture from us; a commitment, a mandate, made by the leader of the Labor Party, the Prime Minister of this country.

With the Qatar decision, the decision made by Minister King on behalf of the government to deny increased access to Qatar Airlines—which would deliver freight benefits, aviation benefits, consumer benefits and competition benefits—they are denying the opportunity for proper transparency and proper scrutiny of that decision. Minister Watt is incorrect as is Senator Green when they say that there is no precedence for House ministers coming before Senate committees. There absolutely is. The former Prime Minister, Mr Morrison, in 2014, when he was a minister in the former government, came before a Senate committee. So they are prepared to tell half-truths, even non-truths, in their defence of Minister King, who will not come before the Senate and provide an explanation about who exactly it was that influenced her decision and exactly what the components and characteristics of the national interest are.

The government says that the decision to deny greater consumer benefits, greater competition and better freight opportunities in our country through Qatar was made in the national interest. Well, please, Minister King, explain to us exactly what the characteristics and components of the national interest are—because coalition senators, crossbench senators and, I have to say, I think the entire Australian public believes that the decision was made not in the national interest but in Qantas's interest.

It is often said in Canberra that secretaries of departments and senior bureaucrats capture their ministers. I suggest that the former CEO of Qantas captured the board of Qantas and the board is as responsible for the decisions and the situation that our national carrier now finds itself. Let's just think about this. Everyone is watching Qantas. The eight ACCC is now watching Qantas, having filed in the Federal Court a claim that Qantas was selling tickets on flights that were no longer scheduled to fly. Really? Wow, who thinks they can get away with that sort of behaviour?

In addition to that, the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors has said that it is now watching Qantas, the Qantas CEO and its board with regard to executive remuneration. Of course, every Australian consumer who is given a lack of opportunity and a lack of aviation choices is watching Qantas because they can't believe the prices and they can't believe the falling levels of service. This is a serious issue.

On the weekend Australians said they'll make up their own minds and hold the government accountable, and we've seen the government trying to make up for lost ground by now trying to talk about the cost of living and now trying to explain what it's doing. Well, this is a big black mark against the government. Minister King and the former Qantas CEO owe it to Qantas and to Australian air travellers to come and explain themselves.

The spirit of Australia has unfortunately got drunk on influence and power in Canberra, and Australian consumers deserve an explanation. The government in question time failed to provide a proper, thorough, comprehensive defence as to why the Qantas CEO shouldn't attend and why Minister King shouldn't come before the Senate.