In the latest instalment of Paint by Numbers, Crikey’s new series about the big issues of the day told via the numbers, we break down the national carrier’s relationship with the public purse in recent years.
What Qantas received in JobKeeper support in 2020: $160.5 million
What Qantas received via the Australian Airline Financial Relief package in 2020: $102 million
What Qantas received via the Domestic Aviation Network Support program, the Regional Airline Network Support program and repatriation flights in 2020: $276 million
What Qantas received via the International Freight Assistance Mechanism in 2020: $110 million
What Qantas received in JobKeeper support in 2021: $695.5 million
Total government support received by Qantas during 2020-21: $2.7 billion
Total JobKeeper paid back by Australian ASX corporations: $267 million (5.73% of what they received)
Total government support paid back by Qantas: $0
Total JobKeeper that was paid to businesses that did not meet the 30% downturn criteria: $39.9 billion
Amount that ineligble companies were forced by the government to repay in “overpaid” JobKeeper: $0
Total that individual Centrelink recipients were forced by the government to repay in “overpaid” JobKeeper: $32 million
Total job cuts by Qantas during 2020 and 2021: 9,400
Number of those jobs Qantas was found to have illegally outsourced: 1,700
Fine over the standing down of a health and safety worker who directed others to stop cleaning and servicing planes over concerns about the spread of COVID-19: $250,000
Profits posted by Qantas in 2023: $2.47 billion
Alan Joyce’s remuneration from Qantas in 2023, his last full financial year as Qantas CEO: $21.4 million
Qantas chairman Richard Goyder’s pay raise in 2023 (a year when, by his own admission, Qantas suffered a “loss of trust … because our service has often fallen short of expectations”): 14%
The number of flights, according to an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigation, Qantas continued to sell tickets for after they had been cancelled: 8,000+
Possible fine faced by Qantas owing to that ACCC investigation: $600 million
Amount docked from Joyce’s final pay owing to that ACCC investigation: $500,000
Value of the bonus “delayed” from Joyce’s final pay pending the ACCC investigation: $2.2 million
Joyce’s full remuneration over 15 years in charge of Qantas: $150 million
How do you feel about the amount of money that’s been spent on Qantas? 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.
These are very distressing and sobering figures. I bet Peter Dutton never gets asked by the mainstream media about this and I bet he doesn’t have an intelligent response to the double-standards and hypocrisy so evident in the figures – instances of which happened during a Government of which he was a Cabinet Minister. Still it would be good to confront him and get his thoughts on these matters just to watch him squirm before he obfuscates and inevitable explodes in a white hot rage.
It would be nice to think so. In fact, Dutton would probably say that (a) Joyce is a typical “woke” corporate figure; (b) Joyce is mates with Albo and Labor; and Dutton would never accept responsibility for any Liberal government policy ever, assuming that most of the punters out there have the memory-span of goldfish.
If only Australia owned shares in a company like Qantas.
I am reading Lech Blaine’s Quarterly Essay Bad Cop: Peter Dutton’s strongman politics.
From page 53: Dutton was inherently opposed to gay marriage. In March 2017, thirty Australian CEOs signed an open letter imploring Turnbull to get it legislated. Dutton told the CEOs to “stick to their knitting.” He singled out Qantas CEO Alan Joyce – an openly gay man – for a special serve. “Alan Joyce, the individual, is perfectly entitled to campaign for and spend his hard-earned money on any issue he sees fit, but don’t do it in the official capacity and with shareholders’ money,” said Dutton to rapturous applause at an LNP conference in Cairns.
It would be good to see him confronted with a question about all that shareholders’ money. Joyce pocketed loads of it. The shareholders also got loads of it. But it was all paid directly from a government that failed to provide proper limitation provisions for payouts.
The hypocrisy is multi-layered and its paths are full of twists and turns. Or as my old Gran would have said: Could nae lie straight in bed!
I’m baffled as to why the media do not question Dutton on his ridiculous statements, showing his idiocy up for all to see, instead of just ignoring him. It would be great fun to see him trying to untangle himself from the crazy contradictions he makes, the inconsistency of so many statements and policies, trying to present a logical rationalisation of that which is not logical. It could be great television, but it never happens. Sadly, he’s just accepted as he is and not forced to explain himself.
Sadly, Dutton is never challenged on his negative statements, let alone the inconsistencies he demonstrates. Are the media afraid of him?
Another very good reason to avoid at all costs the LNP, for those that are truely indoctrinated, that’s the party that stands for blatant corruption, manipulation and deceit. It’s a pity that the Labor party has continued to support several disastrous Bills that were conceived by the LNP, refining and adjusting them according to the mood of the nation, more like, what their polling research indicates – the publics views that are heavily influenced by the Australia media barons and their band of thieving mates.
Polling has simply become circular and unfit for purpose i.e. not about objectively and broadly gaining feedback about voters of societal issues of the day anymore.
It’s now part of the RW MSM ecosystem for content, ‘analysis’, ‘push polling’, suggestion, wedging government on a particular issue and testing how effective the MSM promotion of an issue has been with prospective voters; then adapt.
The true cost of membership in the Chairman’ Lounge has finally been revealed.
On another point – seeing how much taxpayer largess this company receives it is effectively a nationalised company all but in name. Taking the step to formally nationalise QANTAS back into government ownership will not be much of a leap. Might even get improved perfomance!
World’s best practice rent seeking.
Qantas is surely one of the most successful scamming operators in recent times. Am trying to think of a better one but there’s nothing in this class.
The whole capitalist system is a giant scamming operation zut, Qantas is only a small part of it.
The National Party beats it by a mile.
Qantas could shine even brighter in the World’s Best Scammer stakes if it put forward some proposal to develop a Carbon Capture & Storage scheme.
Yet people including here, think QANTAS should be supported through nationalisation (and taxpayers carry losses?) as our official national carrier.
However, one thinks it should be treated like our unfit for purpose RW MSM cartel, broken up as it would need to do if in the EU (under competition law), but here they maintain their ‘koala’ status through opaque personal, political and commercial relationships.