Bridget McKenzie did not declare 16 flight upgrades received over the last nine years, with the Nationals senator apologising and belatedly updating her official register of interests to disclose numerous instances of business class travel which had not been declared as per parliamentary rules.
Two instances were in July and August this year, just a few months before the shadow transport spokesperson claimed to have never been offered a single upgrade on a Qantas flight. Another five upgrades were on personal flights between Australia and New Zealand, including four in 2018 while she was a cabinet minister.
“Deficiencies in disclosing these matters do not meet the expectations of the Australian people and the Parliament and were an oversight on my part, and for this I apologise,” McKenzie said in a statement on Wednesday.
The development comes after the Victorian senator led the Coalition’s criticism of Anthony Albanese for his alleged seeking of upgrades from the former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce – claims the prime minister denies. McKenzie disclosed the upgrades on Qantas and Virgin flights to the parliament on Wednesday, after launching a self-audit of her travel logs when it emerged she had declared an upgrade in 2018.
McKenzie’s office sought advice from Qantas, Virgin and Rex, asking the three airlines for information about upgrades she may have received.
The newly declared flight upgrades, between January 2015 and August this year, span four separate parliamentary periods. The 2022 version of the handbook for senators, published on the federal parliament’s website, says senators must declare any update to their register of interests “within 35 days of the alteration occurring”.
McKenzie’s update to her parliamentary register stated that several of her newly-declared flight upgrades were due to her Qantas frequent flyer status; others were attributed to her membership of Virgin’s club, its elite airline lounge equivalent to Qantas’ chairman’s lounge.
Nine upgrades were on Qantas, seven on Virgin, and none on Rex.
“I have never sought free upgrades, which has been affirmed by the airlines to the extent of their records,” McKenzie stressed.
McKenzie’s update showed Qantas flight upgrades in July and August 2024, and October 2023, on trips for parliamentary business during the period she has served shadow minister for infrastructure and transport.
McKenzie last week told Sky News: “I’ve never sought one [a flight upgrade] … I haven’t been offered one.”
The new disclosure notes five flight upgrades were received on personal trips between Australia and New Zealand – one in 2016, four in 2018. McKenzie was a member of the Morrison government’s cabinet during the period of the 2018 flights, occupying roles including minister for rural health, sport, regional communications and regional services.
Seven Virgin flight upgrades were also declared between 2015 and 2019, which McKenzie said were “provided within membership of Virgin ‘the club’ allocation’”.
McKenzie conceded last week that she was “wrong earlier this week to be so emphatic” in saying she’d never received an upgrade.
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, downplayed McKenzie’s issue on Wednesday, maintaining the allegations against Albanese were worse.
“We have a prime minister who, when transport minister, is alleged to have actively reached out and lobbied for personal upgrades. That’s inappropriate,” he told the ABC.
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“Other upgrades that are given by an airline in different circumstances, they should be declared, and I’m sure that will be worked through.”
Taylor said “any benefit given to a politician” must be declared, and that “if there’s been an error on that, then it should be corrected”.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said on Monday he was “very confident” McKenzie had complied with disclosure rules, and that he believed there had been “no malice intent by Bridget to conceal anything”.
“I think if you went through her pecuniary interests and her declarations, it’d show quite consistently that she’s been upfront and honest about things that she’s put forward,” he told the ABC.
“I think it is important that out of this, we do get some parameters put in place. I think it is only fair that we shouldn’t be asking for upgrades.”
Other politicians across the parliament are also updating their registers of interests to note flight upgrades they have recently received.
The housing minister, Clare O’Neil, last week disclosed she had received two Qantas upgrades last month which “were not requested” on Melbourne to Canberra flights, which happened “while I was boarding the plane, as on both occasions Economy was overbooked”.
The Labor senator Lisa Darmanin similarly disclosed that a domestic ticket “was unexpectedly and unsolicited upgrade to business class”.
One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts on Tuesday declared “a very recent gift” of “Membership to Chairman’s Lounge provided by QANTAS – Early to mid July 2024”.
