AFR's Joe Aston goes BAM!

[kangarooflyer88]

You can relax, and enjoy a Spirit of Australia.

I highly doubt you’d see any spirits of Australia in the Chairman’s lounge. More like the Dom Perignon of France.

 

[TheRealTMA]

I highly doubt you’d see any spirits of Australia in the Chairman’s lounge. More like the Dom Perignon of France.

ahaha. Maybe CL but still Qantas! I doubt there's DOM. Bin 28 instead of koonunga hill.

 

[justinbrett]

I highly doubt you’d see any spirits of Australia in the Chairman’s lounge. More like the Dom Perignon of France.

They most definitely have Bundy Rum.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I highly doubt you’d see any spirits of Australia in the Chairman’s lounge. More like the Dom Perignon of France.

They don’t even have Champagne. It’s Aussie Sparkling.

 

[DejaBrew]

They don’t even have Champagne. It’s Aussie Sparkling.

So pretty much the same bar as a Dom J lounge then?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

They don’t even have Champagne. It’s Aussie Sparkling.

Technically that’s called Australian champagne in Qantas parlance. So I guess it really is the spirit of Australia. Pity that!

-RooFlyer88

 

[justinbrett]

Technically that’s called Australian champagne in Qantas parlance. So I guess it really is the spirit of Australia. Pity that!

-RooFlyer88

Champagne / Wine / Sparkling wine are not spirits.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

Well it came directly from his chief of staff.

I guess if you want to be partisan you can have that view but we aren't supposed to be discussing partisan politics on AFF. My comment is relevant to the thread.

They also said Bridget McKenzie said she'd never accepted an upgrade either except they uncovered the register where she did declare an upgrade, so she has conceded that point.

Silly comment from Bridget she really should know what's on her own register!

This story shows the marked difference in integrity and statesmanship between the honest and principled <redacted> Good to see that not all politicians take as much as they can from the gravy train.

 

[Kangol]

So pretty much the same bar as a Dom J lounge then?

They had Laphroaig in MEL. Wine list I'd say is closer to the MEL F lounge than the Dom J lounge.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Of course there was the Premier of NSW who resigned because he accepted a bottle of red wine though it was an expensive one.

No, he resigned because he "forgot" to tell the ICAC about it; lying to the Commission is an offence.

 

[p--and--t]

Any upgrade if any that i have ever got as a traveller would be through the normal channels as a Frequent Flyer

I would think all fed pollies, and def all ministers, would be frequent flyers as a natural course with their jobs. So unrequested op ups or a polite question at the airport would be run of the mill.

The question to be addressed is what if anything of significant issue occurred outside that.

 

[kpc]

No, he resigned because he "forgot" to tell the ICAC about it; lying to the Commission is an offence.

BOF categorically told ICAC he never received a bottle of wine, nevermind it was a bottle of Grange from the year of his birth. The next day the developer who gave him the bottle, handed ICAC a handwritten note by BOF thanking him for the bottle of Grange. Checkmate!

 

[Jacques Vert]

BOF categorically told ICAC he never received a bottle of wine, nevermind it was a bottle of Grange from the year of his birth. The next day the developer who gave him the bottle, handed ICAC a handwritten note by BOF thanking him for the bottle of Grange. Checkmate!

Agreed. But the point was/is that accepting the bottle of wine is is not an offence under the ICAC Act; lying/denying is .

Another classic example of this was Nick and Dr Terry.

 

[kpc]

Agreed. But the point was/is that accepting the bottle of wine is is not an offence under the ICAC Act; lying/denying is .

Accepting a bottle of Grange from a developer is just asking for trouble even if it not an ICAC offence....well the pollies never learn, do they?!

Anyway BOF went on to become Ambassador to India so he didn't fall on his sword completely !

 

[TheRealTMA]

BOF categorically told ICAC he never received a bottle of wine, nevermind it was a bottle of Grange from the year of his birth. The next day the developer who gave him the bottle, handed ICAC a handwritten note by BOF thanking him for the bottle of Grange. Checkmate!

Yea, let’s not gild the lilly on the “other” party eh?

Private jets for an hour at birthday party, $25k for commitment to country, not paying back salary while illegally an mp, but let’s not digress.

Why people believe Aston at face value when sensationalism is to sell his book is a wonder. Especially considering news corps pile on, rather than talk about real issues.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Accepting a bottle of Grange from a developer is just asking for trouble even if it not an ICAC offence....well the pollies never learn, do they?!

Anyway BOF went on to become Ambassador to India so he didn't fall on his sword completely !

Indeed; go and sit in the naughty corner for a few months until all is forgotten.

 

[markis10]

Then we have Rex who named its 737 after a current Transport Minister at the time, VH-MFM, after Michael McCormack. Influence behind closed doors is likely widespread

And had a former minister of transport on the board during the COVID handouts……I digress.

As someone who was on one of the two flights that he supposedly is accused of asking an upgrade for I doubt that was the case, the F cabin was not for sale on that flight as it was full of notable “guests. Even so I cannot confirm I may have self upgraded myself to share a single malt with said politician in the J bar area inflight who may or may not have been wearing F PJs, and I was not alone……

 

[RooFlyer]

So, I'm happily reading the book. Qantas controversies aside, it starts off with a marvellous trip down memory lane on the Australian aviation sector since the early 2000s.

* SQ requesting the Howard govt permission to fly between Australia and USA. Blocked.

* Texas Pacific Group and Allco Finance offering a leveraged buy-out of Qantas in 2006-07. Supported by the then Qantas Chair and Geoff Dixon's management team . Waved through FIRB by Costello, but narrowly voted down by shareholders. Oh, things could have been so different ...

As someone who was on one of the two flights that he supposedly is accused of asking an upgrade for I doubt that was the case, the F cabin was not for sale on that flight as it was full of notable “guests.

No, that's one of the two flights that the PM chose to mention when asked about him approaching Joyce for upgrades for family holidays overseas. It was irrelevant to the question and I don't think anyone had mentioned them before. "Look over there!!"

 

[kpc]

* SQ requesting the Howard govt permission to fly between Australia and USA. Blocked.

I so much wanted this!!

 

[CaptJCool]

So pretty much the same bar as a Dom J lounge then?

Dom J is pretty much the Qantas club Dom Y booze anyway