In 2021, while opposition leader, Anthony Albanese spoke to PwC’s then-government relations head about his son undertaking an internship with the firm, according to the Financial Review’s Joe Aston and Mariam Robin. Nathan Albanese subsequently had a two-week unpaid internship.
Albanese says his son is not a public figure, and declined to answer questions about the internship or the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge membership given to his son.
But the questions are not about his son, who is indeed not a public figure, and who faces the simultaneous burden and opportunity of being the son of the prime minister when it comes to employment, finances and life generally. The questions relate purely to Albanese and his actions at the time as opposition leader and thus the possible next prime minister.
If a prime minister’s kids are still at school, there’s usually little potential for political trouble, although Tony Blair’s son Euan was arrested for drunkenness at the age of 16, prompting Blair to say that “being a prime minister can be a tough job, but I always think being a parent is probably tougher”. Adult children are off leading their own lives, although their problems might end up having a real impact on their parents, as Bob Hawke found.
But older kids making the transition from education to the workplace — a process parents naturally want to help them with as much as possible — represent a potential problem for senior politicians. As parents, we often turn to our peers and professional connections about opportunities for our children, exploiting networks and links forged through our own careers. Inevitably, this advantages those with greater affluence, or who are connected to more extensive or more lucrative economic networks. And senior politicians have some of the biggest networks of all.
Unlike most of us, however, when politicians ask for favours, the request comes with baggage. They have, or may in the future have, power — and power of a kind that might benefit or harm a business. As a man with a very strong chance of becoming prime minister in the ensuing 12 months, Albanese’s conversations with PwC came with about as much baggage as it’s possible to accumulate.
As it turns out, there’s no suggestion PwC benefited from having Nathan Albanese in the office for a fortnight for free, no suggestion that any favours were called in from the prime minister as the firm commenced its ongoing and self-inflicted torment over leaking multinational tax reform proposals. But again, that’s not the issue — it’s about Albanese’s judgment that it was appropriate to discuss a favour for his son from the firm. As the alternative prime minister, Albanese should have suspended his understandable inclination to help his son out, as part of the price of seeking high office.
Funnily enough, however, the media reaction, other than from Aston, has been muted, and neither the Coalition nor the crossbench has pursued the PwC matter or the Chairman’s Lounge membership. As pretty much every MP is in on the Chairman’s Lounge racket, the failure to pursue that makes sense. But where’s the castigation of Albanese for seeking a favour for his son? Nationals Leader David Littleproud actually defended the prime minister from “personal attacks on family members”.
It’s very likely because a lot of MPs have done exactly what Albanese has done and used their networks to seek out opportunities for their kids. Any attack on the prime minister would lead to plenty of other revelations of how MPs got some sort of favour or position for their kids through their work. For that matter, judging by the level of nepotism that goes on in the media industry, a lot of journalists and editors might be similarly exposed.
It’s all part of how power works, to entrench privilege, as affluent, powerful or well-connected parents try to ensure their kids have the best advantages possible. For a prime minister or prime minister-to-be, however, what comes naturally is still a potential conflict of interest, and it’s poor judgment to do it.
Should Albanese be copping flak over this? Let us know by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
If Albo had been chasing a permanent role for his son, especially one of any influence, maybe there would be cause for concern, but a two week unpaid internship? Nah – I think we can let that one through to the keeper. That’s my opinion, anyway.
It’s right to keep a sense of proportion, and to see the magnitude of this offence as low on the scale compared to some of what goes on; but it still crosses the line into the territory of unacceptable conduct. And even the most egregiously corrupt or criminal among us usually start with fairly modest transgressions before moving on to bigger and better things.
Rubbish! You wouldn’t be saying this and Bernard wouldn’t be writing about this if it weren’t for the PwC scandal that was uncovered earlier this year – long after Albo’s son completed his 2 week unpaid internship.
Rubbish! Why would you think that? The involvement of PwC, rather than anybody else, is irrelevant.
our politicians should always strive to avoid even the smallest hint of impropriety – but of course they don’t – why should they? – there’s always an explanation that will muddy the waters anthem then there will be something else to distract the punters – and then the politicians (and their mates) can continue on their merry way while corruption grows, democracy shrivels and the world burns
Albo has disappointed once again – and the fact that the opposition (both politicians and the media) aren’t tearing him to shreds for this misdemeanour just goes to show how much corruption has become accepted by those in the game … and, apparently, by some simps who subscribe to Crikey
Anyone saying that “Albo has disappointed once again -” has not been paying attention to his perfidious, pusillanimous, mendacious history.
And those who are already into ‘bigger and better things’ would think nothing of this minor transgression. There may be something wrong with my TV, but most politicians I see on it seem to be bulging with corruption.
A two week unpaid internship may seem trivial, but one that comes with access to the qantas chairman’s lounge..? For how long? Does PwC pay for that? Sounds dodgy.
Leave kids out of it.
And focus on how crap his policies are!
I really wish this remark could become the “mission statement” of all the media we have. Including Crikey. Especially Crikey which seems to have mistaken this event for a big deal.
Agree with what you write.
More of a concern to me is the membership of the Qantas Chairdonkeys club. What was Nathan thinking? I guess these days it is mandatory of all Socialist left members to have free membership to the donkey club. That is true equality non? Keep voting Liberal, l mean Labor Labor for entrenched systemic inequality ya dumb plebs.
‘Chairdonkeys’, brilliant!
I regard the Chairman’s Lounge as a gift to the travelling general public as it means parliamentary rabble is corralled in a single enclosed area leaving the remaining lounges free of infection.
Federal MPs do a lot of plane travel. Do you expect potentially drunk, sleep-deprived, and/or generally-aggrieved punters at an airport to always be civil to travelling MPs?
At any given major airport that’s probably at least two airport security Full Time Equivalent positions that are spared surly MP duty through the QCC’s existence .
The way these things go if the QCC didn’t exist it’d probably be created from scratch at taxpayer’s expense.
They could just use the business lounge, where behaviour is generally pretty subdued and establishment (ie lib/lab/Nat) politicians are likely to be left unmolested,
Ofcourse there’s no ‘evidence’ of quid pro quo’s here, that’s usually not how it works. But Abanese will surely have a positive thought on PwC which may affect decision making.
That only explains PwC’s part in this, not Albanese’s. He was more likely only thinking about getting a favour to help his son. And there’s the bad judgement—Albanese exploited his political power and position for personal gain, since advancing his family’s interest is his interest. It’s rotten conduct. Not illegal of course, but certainly unethical.