Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce will need to front up to a Senate inquiry when he returns to Australia from Europe or face “a whole raft of processes”, including the prospect of jail, Bridget McKenzie has warned.
The long-serving airline chief, who stepped down from the top job earlier this month, did not appear before a Senate inquiry into the federal government’s decision to block a bid from Qatar Airways to double its flights to major Australian cities.
McKenzie, the committee’s chair, said Joyce had knowledge of key details through his supposed conversations with the transport minister, Catherine King, and prime minister, Anthony Albanese, about the decision that favoured his airline over domestic competitor, and Qatar Airways partner, Virgin Australia.
The Nationals senator pointed to a 1950s precedent, where two journalists were jailed for not adhering to a summons order, but said “let’s hope we don’t get there”.
“He is the only one that can go to conversations that he’s informally had with his bromance partner, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese and indeed Minister King,” McKenzie said, later adding there are “a whole raft of processes” the inquiry can take if he rebuffs the request to appear.
“There is a process within the standing orders and the procedures of the Senate, which will eventually make it very hard for former CEO Joyce to not appear.”
The inquiry, which wrapped up hearings on Thursday afternoon, heard from Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka on Wednesday, who said she had first met with King in January where they discussed the Qatari bid for “five minutes at best” during a one-hour discussion.
Hrdlicka added King informed her Joyce was “not happy” to hear of the Qatari bid and had requested a meeting.
“Nonetheless, I was left with a very clear impression that the decision to proceed was very compelling and imminent. Based on this conversation, I felt comfortable that Qatar would be granted additional air rights,” Hrdlicka said.
A spokesperson for King said: “We don’t comment on the content of private conversations.”
King has also been invited to appear before the inquiry, McKenzie said. Unlike Joyce, she cannot be summonsed to a hearing.
On Thursday morning, senators asked department of infrastructure and transport officials 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”.
The department had completed a brief on the Qatari request, and sent the advice to King’s office on 4 January. Negotiations did not take place with Qatar over the request. King then formally rejected the request six months later on 10 July.
The department officials could not answer questions about the information contained within the brief because King had previously claimed public interest immunity on the matter.
Separately, the department of foreign affairs and trade said it had provided a brief to Penny Wong’s office on the Qatar matter on 24 January at her request.
