Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has admitted during a grilling by Nat Barr on Sunrise on Wednesday morning that he enjoyed free flight upgrades following the government’s decision to block a Qatar Airways bid to expand services in the country. Butler was asked about his own free travel upgrades, as the scandal surrounding revelations Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had personally requested the upgrades from former Qantas boss Alan Joyce continues to dog the government. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Nat Barr grills Federal Health Minister Mark Butler over Qantas upgrades scandal.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said on Tuesday Albanese should refer himself to the National Anti-Corruption Commission over the free flight upgrades , a call Albanese has dismissed. Albanese has come under fire after excerpts were published from the upcoming book by former Australian Financial Review columnist Joe Aston, The Chairman’s Longue: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out , by the SMH at the weekend, which detailed 22 free upgrades on economy tickets. In the book, Aston claims the free upgrades occurred from 2009, when Albanese was the Rudd government’s federal Transport Minister.
On Wednesday, Butler joined Nat Barr on Sunrise , where he was quizzed about his own travel perks. “The Daily Telegraph reports that you accepted a Qantas upgrade for a private flight, just weeks after that Qatar decision (to block Qatar’s bid to expand s.