Daily Bulletin

  • Written by Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Opposition transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie has admitted to receiving sixteen undisclosed upgrades, including on five personal flights to or from New Zealand.

The five NZ flights, with Qantas, were between 2016 and 2018, when her boyfriend was New Zealand then-parliamentarian David Bennett.

While McKenzie has been in the shadow transport portfolio since the last election, there have been three Qantas upgrades from economy to business, when she was flying on parliamentary business.

Other upgrades included one from Qantas in January 2015, and seven Virgin domestic upgrades between 2015 and 2019.

After Anthony Albanese’s upgrades became an issue following publication of Joe Aston’s book The Chairman’s Lounge, McKenzie went strongly on the attack. Initially she denied she had had any upgrades herself. After that was seen to be wrong she wrote to the airlines asking for her details.

When it became clear the opposition was about to be embarrassed by the McKenzie record, it pulled back from pursuing the upgrades issue.

In a Wednesday statement, McKenzie acknowledged her “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”.

She said she had never sought free upgrades.

Authors: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Read more https://theconversation.com/bridget-mckenzie-admits-to-16-undeclared-upgrades-including-on-personal-new-zealand-flights-243050

Business News

A Guide to Finance Automation Software

When running a business, it is critical to streamline certain processes to maintain efficiency. Too much to spent manually on tasks can wind up being detrimental to the overall health of the organis...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

Top Tips for Cost-effective Storefront Signage

The retail industry is highly competitive and if you are in the process of setting up a retail store, you have come to the right place, as we offer a few tips to help you create a stunning storefront...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

How Freight Forwarding Simplifies Global Trade Operations

Global trade operations are becoming increasingly complex due to international regulations, customs procedures, and the sheer scale of global logistics. For businesses looking to expand internation...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin