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Joe Aston got the kind of book launch every first time author dreams of - massive amounts of free publicity online, in newspapers and on TV and radio. <br> <br> <br> <br> And it was all thanks to Anthony Albanese's ill-informed attack on Aston over what was <br> <br> written in his book, The Chairman's Lounge <br> <br> - The Inside Story of how Qantas sold us out.<br> <br> <br> <br> Despite the resultant terrible publicity - which has led to him being <br> <br> called 'upgrade Albo' - and calls for an inquiry, Aston told Daily Mail Australia his book is 'not a hit job on Anthony Albanese'.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Aston insisted he's 'not trying to get a scalp', but reiterated that <br> <br> the Prime Minister 'had a direct line to Alan Joyce'.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> The book claims Mr Albanese got 22 upgrades from economy on Qantas flights by personally requesting them from the airline's then CEO <br> <br> Mr Joyce - which the Prime Minister has categorically denied.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> According to unnamed Qantas 'insiders', 11 of the <br> <br> 22 flights Mr Albanese got upgrades for were 'privately funded' and included overseas trips to Rome, London, Los Angeles and Honolulu. <br> <br> <br> <br> But instead of addressing the claim, Mr Albanese chose to shoot the messenger and, in turn, shot himself <br> <br> in the foot. <br> <br> <br> <br> He said Aston was using the accusations to sell books and said he was <br> <br> hiding his employment history. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'I don't see declarations that he's a former Liberal Party staffer… I don't see declarations he's a former Qantas employee,' the Prime Minister said. <br> <br> <br> <br> But before the book even gets to the contents page there is a <br> <br> photo of Aston that refers to him as the then-Qantas <br> <br> corporate communications senior adviser. <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Joe Aston (pictured) got the kind of book launch every first time <br> <br> author dreams of - massive amounts of free publicity online,<br> <br> in newspapers and on TV and radio<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Anthony Albanese (right) is pictured with his fiance Jodie <br> <br> Haydon (left) and then Qantas CEO Alan Joyce on March <br> <br> 31, 2023 in Sydney, Australia<br> <br> <br> <br> And the first chapter of the book reveals that he worked <br> <br> for then-Liberal MP Bruce Baird, who held the southern Sydney seat <br> <br> of Cook before Scott Morrison. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'My professional history is not a secret or not disclosed,<br> <br> it's in the first line of the first page of the book,' Aston said on Tuesday night, just before his book <br> <br> launch. <br> <br> <br> <br> Though he was grateful for the free publicity Mr Albanese's response gave the book, Aston was still 'staggered' <br> <br> at the untrue claims about him the Prime Minister made. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'He's under enormous pressure and I know, I've seen this many times with public figures <br> <br> and leaders who struggle to see their own part in it, the terrible circumstances that they create,<br> <br> ' he said.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Read More<br> <br> <br> <br> <i><u>Extravagant Qantas perk Anthony Albanese FAILED to declare is revealed...<br> <br> <br> <br> after two days of denials</u></i><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Asked if Mr Albanese had been poorly advised in his attack, Aston, <br> <br> who is a former Australian Financial Review columnist, wonders if the Prime Minister 'even listens to advice at this point'.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> 'All he's doing is talking around the issue and he's blaming me and he's blaming other <br> <br> MP's for also taking upgrades (on Qantas flights).<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> 'He's avoiding the only thing that he can't talk about, which <br> <br> is, did you ask Qantas for confirmed upgrades on your private holidays when you were the Transport Minister?<br> <br> The answer is "yes" and he's desperately trying to avoid saying it.'<br> <br> <br> <br> Smelling blood, Opposition leader Peter Dutton said the Prime Minister should refer himself to the anti-corruption commission over the flight upgrades.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Coming on top of Mr Albanese's tone deaf purchase of a $4.3million clifftop mansion while so many people <br> <br> are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, the latest blow to his <br> <br> credibility has led to calls for him to resign.<br> <br> <br> <br> <strong><u>Aston refuses to be drawn on this, though. </u></strong><br> <br> <br> <br> 'I never expected this (part of the book) to even this part to get <br> <br> this far. I really am shocked at how it's blown up.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <u><i>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pictured with the then Qantas CEO Alan Joyce</i></u><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Anthony Albanese is pictured on August 14, 2023 as Qantas unveiled its Yes23 livery in support of a Yes vote in the Indigenous Voice <br> <br> to Parliament referendum <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Among the movers and shakers at Joe Aston's book launch in the ritzy Hemmesphere club in Sydney was <br> <br> Tabcorp director David Gallop (pictured)<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <b>Paul Barry (pictured in blue shirt), the host of the ABC's Media Watch show,<br> <br> was also at the launch</b><br> <br> <br> <br> 'So to the extent that it has, I would say ... anyone who reads the <br> <br> book will learn that this book is not a hit job on Anthony Albanese.<br> <br> This book is about Qantas. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'Anthony Albanese is an example of how Qantas influences politicians <br> <br> on both sides of the aisle, Labor, Liberal, National, you name it.<br> <br> They've been doing it for more than a generation.<br> <br> <br> <br> 'They're the best influence peddler in Australia.<br> <br> I'm not here trying to get a scalp. That's not what this book is about and it never was.'<br> <br> <br> <br> But the conversation Daily Mail Australia had with Aston mirrors the conversations being had across Australia and eventually winds up back on Mr Albanese. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'Even I've underestimated how fed up the public is with the freebie <br> <br> mindset of politicians,' he said.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Guests at Joe Aston's book launch on Tuesday night are pictured pointing for emphasis or <br> <br> to someone they recognise<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <u><i>There was no shortage of free alcohol (pictured) available at the launch of Joe Aston's book </i></u><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Joe Aston is pictured in the exclusive Hemmesphere club in Sydney, where his book The Chairman's Lounge was launched<br> <br> <br> <br> 'And unfortunately for Albanese, he's been in politics a long time and that kind of behaviour is quite normalised to him, is <br> <br> what I've seen. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'I mean, he loves the free concert tickets and sitting at the front row of the Australian Open Tennis. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'I went to the Australian Open Tennis as a journalist almost every year for 12 years and he was the only Prime Minister (I saw there).<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> 'Those tickets are worth thousands of dollars to sit in the front row of <br> <br> the International Grand Slam. He's the first Prime Minister who I've ever seen do that.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> 'That to me is a sign that he doesn't quite get what it looks like to others when he's <br> <br> on the gravy train. And I think (the claims in the book are) <br> <br> just another example of that.'<br> <br> <br> <br> In Australian politics it's regular practise for an MP's travel to be booked in economy, then someone in their office phones the airline and asks if their flight can be upgraded. <br> <br> <br> <br> The difference with the Prime Minister is that 'he had a very direct line to Alan Joyce,' Aston said.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> 'The other thing is there's a difference between an upgrade where <br> <br> it's in the booking and if the seat's empty when the flight closes, you'll <br> <br> get upgraded.<br> <br> <br> <br> 'This is different. This is a confirmed upgrade where the ticket is converted and you are guaranteed.<br> <br> You're not going to the airport crossing your fingers going "Geez, I hope there is a spare seat".<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> 'You're guaranteed. You turn up knowing you're getting <br> <br> a seat and the only person at Qantas who can issue those types of upgrades is the CEO.<br> <br> No other executive can do that.<br> <br> <br> <br> <b><u>'So it is beyond question that Alan joints authorised these <br> <br> upgrades (for Anthony Albanese).'</u></b><br> <br> <br> <br> Aston enjoyed many upgrades to the pointy end of planes during his time <br> <br> as a travel journalist, and understands the attraction for politicians to get up there. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'These things are tempting and it's human nature too.<br> <br> Once you've experienced the front of the plane, it's very hard <br> <br> to go back.<br> <br> <br> <br> 'For politicians, they run around with all these staff <br> <br> and they've got chauffeured cars and they fly in business, but they <br> <br> don't get paid like CEOs ...<br> <br> <br> <br> 'They're not in a situation where they can afford to go flying around in the front of the plane on personal travel. <br> <br> <br> <br> 'A normal person would say "Therefore I won't (fly business class). But (for politicians) it's a culture of entitlement.'<br> <br> <br> <br> Aston is careful to point out that most people would say politicians are 'very well paid compared to the average worker'.<br> <br> <br> <br> But that doesn't stop some MPs from desperately seeking a free ride, whether it's a flight upgrade, concert tickets or the executive box at sporting events. <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Late on Wednesday night, a spokeswoman Mr Albanese said 'The Prime Minister did not ever call Alan Joyce seeking an upgrade'.<br> <br> <br> <br> <u><i>'All travel has been appropriately declared and is a matter of public record.'</i></u><br> <br> <br> <br> <b>Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for comment.  </b><br> <br> <br> <br> The Chairman's Lounge - The Inside Story of how Qantas sold us out, by Joe Aston, is available now in bookshops and from online retailers<br> <br> <br> <br> <b>WHAT IS THE QANTAS CHAIRMAN'S LOUNGE?</b><br> <br> <br> <br> The Qantas Chairman's Lounge is an invitation-only club approved by the company chairman, with the guest list a closely-guarded secret.<br> <br> <br> <br> <strong><u>It has been dubbed 'the most exclusive club in the country' and comes with a distinct black card.</u></strong><br> <br> <br> <br> Members include senior-ranking MPs such as ministers, state premiers and the Prime Minister, leaders of major unions and sporting groups, Qantas ambassadors, selected A-list celebrities, major corporate figures and high-profile media personalities.<br> <br> <br> <br> The clubs can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide airports but are not signposted - you have to know where to look.<br> <br> <br> <br> Inside you will find expensive wood and brass furnishings, wool carpet and marble flooring, all bathed in natural light. <br> <br> <br> <br> Members enjoy fine à la carte dining with a complimentary premium array of beers, spirits and Australian wines. Wine bottles are often given as departing gifts.<br> <br> <br> <br> <u><i>Facilities may also include spas, showers and an assortment of books and magazines.</i></u><br> <br> <br> <br> <strong><u>Members may bring in two guests at a time. </u></strong><br> <br> <br> <br> Lounge attendants personally alert you when your flight is ready to board, and your personal preferences are logged for each flight. <br> <br> <br> <br> <i><u>Membership also entitles you to first-class facilities at Qantas partner airlines.</u></i><br> <br> <br> <br> <b><u>Source: Executive Traveller</u></b><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Anthony Albanese<br> <br> <br> <br> Look into my blog - <a href="http://drugoffice.gov.hk/gb/unigb/boonforal.com/">จัดดอกไม้สดแนวนอน</a>
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