During a week in which Qantas has firmly been in the spotlight, a Queensland-based Greens MP has called on the federal government to consider bringing the flying kangaroo back into public hands.
While former Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce has now departed, Greens spokesperson for Transport, Infrastructure, and Sustainable Cities, and MP for Ryan, Elizabeth Watson-Brown asserted that a change in leadership wouldn’t address the carrier’s systemic problems.
As long as Qantas continues as a private, for-profit monopoly, concerns such as price gouging, worker rights, and scandals are likely to persist, she stated.
Instead, the Greens MP suggested an alternative approach, saying “it’s time for a rethink”.
“Instead of propping up Qantas’s profits, the government should take this moment to seriously look into bringing Qantas back into public ownership,” she remarked.
Watson-Brown said that public ownership could prevent price gouging and consumer rights violations, ensure fair wages and conditions for workers, and maintain reasonable prices for travellers.
The MP also pointed out Qantas’ dominance of the Aussie aviation landscape, which she says warrants a re-evaluation of the carrier’s ownership structure. The flying kangaroo currently holds a “60 per cent share of Australia’s aviation market”.
“Rather than protect Qantas’s monopoly status as ‘too big to fail’, the government should investigate bringing it back into public ownership,” Watson-Brown said.
On Joyce’s departure, she added, “Alan Joyce has made Qantas’ name synonymous with price gouging, mismanagement, attacking workers’ pay and conditions, and scandal. I’m sure many Australians are happy to see him go”.
She further criticised the former CEO’s substantial bonuses that exceeded $20 million, while others, including workers and customers “lost out”.
“Now that he’s being pushed out, the board should step in to ensure he receives no final bonus payout,” she said.
Time for Qantas to give back, say Greens
Meanwhile, the Greens are calling on Qantas to pay back the $2.7 billion in public money it received during the COVID pandemic after it reported a record $2.47 billion profit last month.
“Qantas’s record profits are off the back of ballooning prices for flights during a cost of living crisis,” Watson-Brown said.
“Instead of that money going to CEO bonuses and share buybacks, it should be going to paying workers, improving their conditions, and making flights cheaper for everyday people.”
The comments come after Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers told ABC Radio that the government would not ask Qantas to pay back their COVID subsidies.
