It’s wonderful to be back here at the Italian Festa here in Norton Street, Leichhardt in the Inner West as Prime Minister, but also as the local member for Grayndler. This is the largest Italian festival held anywhere in Australia. Over 100,000 people will be here today, celebrating our multiculturalism and the contribution that Italo-Australians make to our local community. So it’s a great day and a fantastic day to be here. And I pay tribute to Co.As.It, the Italian welfare organisation who looks after the youngest Italo-Australians, but also the oldest Italo-Australians. when it comes to the Co.As.It bilingual school, but also looks after aged care and promotes Italo-Australian culture and language as well as really looking after people.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what message do you take from the result in Queensland?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I spoke with the incoming Premier, David Crisafulli this morning. And firstly, can I begin by congratulating him. I want to work with him in the interests of Queenslanders and he certainly has indicated the same. I know David quite well, we’ve met over the years, and we have a big job to do, both in terms of our bilateral relationship, but also through the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Cabinet. The Olympics in 2032 is, of course, a really important event for Queensland and for the nation, the third time that we will host the Olympics. And the fact that Anika Wells is our Sports Minister is no accident, from Queensland, and I discussed with the incoming Premier the upcoming Games and the planning that will be required to it. Of course, the federal government will fund the arena project there and is funding other activities. I take from the election result, I want to pay tribute to Steven Miles and pay tribute to those people who didn’t retain their seats. Steven Miles ran an effective and vigilant and courageous campaign. He was always against the odds, but the outcome was much better for Queensland Labor than what was anticipated just weeks ago, let alone months ago, with the retaining of seats that were seen to be under threat, but also gaining a seat off the Greens political party, I think, sends a message as well that people who elected Greens party representatives to state and federal parliament expected them to play a progressive role, not to play a blocking role. To seek to bring people together, not to divide people. And I think there’s a big message in this result for Adam Bandt. I think that it is the first time that a Greens elected member who’s been elected for a full term has lost their seat. It overturns what was an orthodoxy that when independents and crossbenchers win seats, they just retain them, and that was overturned last night.
JOURNALIST: What about Queensland Labor, where did Queensland Labor go wrong?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Queensland Labor, of course, have been in office for three terms. There were a range of issues and challenges that they were dealing with, but it is hard to win a fourth term in office. I said that during the last federal election campaign. Steven Miles, I think though, ran a very effective campaign. I listened to some of the coverage when I returned from CHOGM last night, which was late-ish getting in and the comments of people like Cameron Dick and others, seems to indicate that law and order issues were a major issue in Queensland.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there’s allegations regarding travel benefits you allegedly received from Qantas and Alan Joyce, will you been making any further declarations regarding upgrades you received from the airline? And did you ask for your son to get Chairman’s Lounge Membership access, or was it offered to you?
PRIME MINISTER: Every single thing has been declared. Every single thing has been declared, which is why it’s been reported on. It is appropriate, it is appropriate that those declarations occur.
JOURNALIST: Was it a mistake to receive free upgrades from Qantas? Was it a mistake?
PRIME MINISTER: From time to time, members of parliament receive upgrades, what’s important is that they are declared. All of mine have been declared. I note that a range of them go back a long, a long period of time. They’ve all been declared as appropriate.
JOURNALIST: You don’t regret it?
PRIME MINISTER: They have all been declared, which is what is appropriate. What’s appropriate is transparency.
JOURNALIST: What was your relationship with Alan Joyce?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, he was the CEO of the national airline, and the CEO of the national airline I had the same relationship with him that I have with John Borghetti as the CEO of Virgin.
JOURNALIST: Do you think all politicians should stop taking upgrades from all airlines?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s a matter for them. What should happen is that, and what’s clear is that in terms of a couple of the flights that were mentioned were non-commercial flights, they were flights that contain, for example, the trip from Perth contained Shadow Ministers as well as Ministers, the WA premier as well as Shadow Ministers for the first flight, promoting Australia. We travelled there and back pretty much immediately.
JOURNALIST: Most of the flights, the upgrades you received were on commercial flights, were they not? Most of the upgrades you received –
PRIME MINISTER: There were ten flights that were referred to, which was during the leadership campaign that I had with Bill Shorten, where both Qantas and Virgin upgraded myself and people who were travelling as part of that, those flights were paid for by the Australian Labor Party to make sure that taxpayers weren’t making payments.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, your government was behind the decision to block Qatar from having the landing slots, which you’d know given increased competition to possibly decreased market share from Qantas. Just back on the first question, did you ask for your son to get Chairman’s Lounge access, or was it offered to you?
PRIME MINISTER: All that happened was my relationship ended. My relationship ended, and my plus one, when that happened, and I put out a media release when my marriage ended. You can’t be more transparent than that, and my plus one became my son. And I think that people’s families shouldn’t be the subject of targeting. That is all that happened, simple as that.
JOURNALIST: When there’s benefits being given to yourself and your family, you can understand the concern for the public when, when you know there’s, you know, Qatar has been blocked more [inaudible] –
PRIME MINISTER: People get plus ones, and if anyone knows anything about aviation, what they will know is that there are regularly, regularly, a range of airlines will put in, at the moment there would be, I’m sure the Transport Minister, I’m sure is considering a range of applications. That’s what they do in advance. That happens very regularly. And I note that Qatar was knocked back by the former Minister, Michael McCormack, and he’s made comments about it as well.
JOURNALIST: Can I just about the Israeli strikes on Iran, your reaction to those?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Israel, of course, has a right to retaliate for the attacks that took place from Iran. What I do is join with the US Secretary of State, join with Prime Minister Starmer to continue to work towards a de-escalation in the Middle East. I think that’s what everyone wants to see, and certainly at CHOGM that was a common view of everyone at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Thanks very much.
