The transport minister, Catherine King, has shot down calls for her to appear before a Senate inquiry examining her decision to reject Qatar Airways’ request for extra flights to Australia, labelling the probe “a political stunt”.
The Senate committee on bilateral air agreements was launched in response to outcry from the aviation and tourism sectors over the Albanese government’s decision to block a Qatar proposal to almost double its flights into major cities amid questions about the influence of key rival Qantas in the process.
King and government ministers have repeatedly refused to provide reasons for the decision, citing that it was against the “national interest”. King has previously claimed public interest immunity on details around her refusal of the request.
Questions about King’s meetings with former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce had been raised throughout hearings last week, with committee chair Bridget McKenzie calling for both King and Joyce to front the inquiry.
But on Tuesday evening King said “it is longstanding practice that House of Representatives members do not appear before Senate committees” and noted opposition leader Peter Dutton had himself refused to appear before senate inquiries in the past.
“While Senator McKenzie is wasting time on a political stunt, I am spending time doing the hard work the Coalition never did to set our aviation sector up for the future,” King said.
The Coalition senator Simon Birmingham, who sits on the committee, blasted King’s refusal to appear and accused the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, of failing to lead the “accountable and transparent government” he promised before the election.
“This is the height of evasiveness from a minister who should be accountable for the decisions she makes but is instead hiding from scrutiny,” Birmingham said.
“It was Catherine King’s refusal or inability to explain her decision to deny Qatar Airways additional flights which led to a select Senate committee being established in the first place.
“The minister then refused to provide her own department with the relevant information requested by the committee and now refuses to even turn up to provide that information herself.”
Birmingham said the Coalition “will be asking the Senate to look at other means to make this minister reveal what lobbying resulted in her rejecting departmental advice to approve the extra flights”.
The inquiry – which has so far held five hearings throughout September – heard evidence from Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka last Wednesday, who said she had met with King in January, before Qatar Airways’ request was officially refused in July.
Hrdlicka said King told her that then Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was “not happy” to hear of the Qatari bid and had requested a meeting with the minister.
Last Thursday morning senators asked department of infrastructure and transport officials at the inquiry for details of King’s discussions with airline officials, such as Joyce.
Marisa Purvis-Smith, the transport department’s deputy secretary, said her team had asked King’s office if they could provide the details of her calendar, in relation to questions about a meeting with Joyce on or about 23 January, but were told the department should not answer.
Purvis-Smith said a text passed to her from the minister’s office read: “The MO [minister’s office] view is not for the department to answer re the minister’s diary. The question should be directed to the minister”.
Last Wednesday’s hearings also included an almost four hour grilling of Qantas chairman Richard Goyder and new CEO Vanessa Hudson as the pair faced questions over the airline’s lobbying of the government to reject the Qatari carrier’s request.
Joyce had been called upon, but his lawyers told the committee he was in Europe and unavailable to appear remotely.
McKenzie said Joyce will need to appear before the inquiry when he returns to Australia from overseas, or face “a whole raft of processes”, including the prospect of jail.
