Crossbench powerhouse the Greens are leading calls for more transparency from the federal government after ministers did not answer several questions during Parliament’s sitting.
The Greens, which currently hold the balance of power in the Australian upper house, said Aussies were sick of politicians refusing to answer questions.
“If you ask a minister why they’re approving more coal projects, they should answer, not waffle on about something else,” Greens leader Adam Bandt said.
“Question Time is meant to be where we can hold governments to account, but it is becoming a farce because ministers don’t have to answer questions.
Mr. Bandt says changes to the Australian Parliament’s Standing Orders are needed to compel federal government ministers to directly answer questions.
But the move has been stonewalled by both the Labor and Liberal parties, who have refused to back it.
Government Under Pressure Over Alleged Qantas Protection
The federal government is under pressure for not explaining its reasoning behind its rejection of Qatar Airway’s bid for more flight routes in Australia. The airline wanted extra flights into Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane by July 2023.The federal government has been accused of protecting Australia’s flag carrier, Qantas.
Qantas general counsel Andrew Finch rejected the allegation.
“The reality is that no one has any idea what the counterfactual would look like if Qatar had been given permission to add the capacity that it had sought through the government,” he said.
Coalition Senator and Shadow Foreign Minister Simion Birmingham has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to be more transparent about the government’s decision-making process around the issue, telling Sky News it is a “gross failure.”
“The prime minister, if he was going to show any leadership, should demand that this decision be reviewed, transparently reviewed, with proper modelling about its impact on airfare prices into Australia, its impact on the tourism industry, its impact in terms of freight capacity out of this country,” he said.
Senate Inquiry to Go Ahead
Currently, the Parliament is in the process of organising a Senate inquiry into the decision.This followed an alliance of crossbench senators, involving the Coalition, the Greens, and independent Senator David Pocock, pushing for the release of confidential documents concerning the decision.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie has said she will move a vote in the upper house to require the Albanese government to release documents relating to Qatar Airway’s application.
Ms. McKenzie said there was an allegation that at the government level, Labor had potentially blocked competition to protect Qantas.
“We want our aviation sector to be profitable … but by not allowing and exposing it to reasonable competition, it’s the Australian consumer that ends up getting slapped at the end.”
