Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister: did the Prime Minister discuss the Qatar application with Mr Alan Joyce prior to the government's decision?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've gone through the one substantive conversation that I had. I've said that was not with Qantas, and I received no lobbying from Qantas about this issue. I cannot be clearer than that.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Very tricky—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This issue goes to the way global aviation operates, and I've said that in my time as minister there was one doubling of Qatar Airways eligibility into the gateway airports and one rejection of another application that Qatar put whilst I was the minister. But the specific agreement that was put into the Australia-Qatar government-to-government agreement was proposed by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Minister McCormack, prior to the second arrival, the sequel no-one asked for, Barnaby Joyce's election as Deputy Prime Minister a second time. That introduced a safeguards article for Australia, making sure there wasn't any abuse of market power put in there by any entity, and of course there's only one airline based in Qatar, which also operates the airport at Doha.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business, on a point of order?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on relevance: the Prime Minister did come to a direct answer; he's now off on ancient history, and frankly he's got no more—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is being relevant. He was asked a question about the Qatar application. He is talking directly about the Qatar application.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They ask questions, but I'd suggest that they actually should have asked questions to people on their side who understand the aviation sector. If they'd done that, then they wouldn't have gone down this rabbit hole, because there are people on that side who understand the way the air services agreements work and the way that global aviation works as well, which is not a free-for-all. Australia seeks access to international markets. Whilst I was the minister, we weren't successful in getting a European air services agreement, and that has restricted our access substantially. Whilst I was the minister, we made sure that we did have that access to the US for Virgin as well as Qantas, and for the US airlines to be able to fly to Australia as well.

We have the most open aviation market in the world bar none—bar none. There isn't another country in the world that has the access that we do. Qatar can increase the number of passengers, tomorrow, coming into Australia, either at the gateway airports by flying different aircraft or by going into other airports. (Time expired)