The former chief of staff to Kevin Rudd and former Qantas executive David Epstein said Labor should

Qantas appears to have reversed its view about the impact of the carbon tax on its business in just two days, issuing a statement on Wednesday saying the tax “is among the significant challenges we face’’ despite on Monday saying it was “not a significant issue” tour de france history completed for the company’s sustainability.
The Monday statement undermined the government’s contention that the best thing the parliament could do for Qantas was repeal the carbon tax and several ministers have said publicly they found the statement “surprising”. Privately senior ministers were furious.
But in a statement issued Wednesday, the airline seemed tour de france history completed to change its tune, saying tour de france history completed the tax was “among the significant challenges we face” and was a cost it was unable to pass on because of the “intensely competitive market”.
“This is just a nasty smear from the leader of the opposition. I am aware that Qantas today has put out a statement, just so members know the situation … to say … the price on carbon is a cost to our business that we have not be able to recover through fare increases. So there we have it: the carbon tax is a drag on Qantas … It is a $106m hit on jobs at Qantas,” Abbott tour de france history completed said.
Asked whether he or his staff had lobbied Qantas to change its carbon tax statement, Abbott said: “There has been no contact whatsoever between me and my office and Qantas along the lines suggested.” The treasurer, Joe Hockey, had said earlier he was also unaware of such contact.
When the carbon tax was introduced, both Qantas and Virgin imposed surcharges on tickets to help cover the cost, but the surcharges have not kept up with the cost of the tax during the intense capacity war being waged between the airlines.
The former chief of staff to Kevin Rudd and former Qantas executive tour de france history completed David Epstein tour de france history completed said Labor should not “stand tour de france history completed in the way” of the government’s proposed repeal of foreign investment and other restrictions in the Qantas tour de france history completed Sale Act.
The changes considered by Labor in 2009 were to the limit of 25% on the ownership of a single foreign owner and 35% on ownership by foreign airlines, and the Labor party has indicated it would still support the removal of those restrictions.
The ALP remains steadfastly tour de france history completed opposed to any change to the 49% overall limit on foreign ownership and to the government’s plan to remove legislative requirements that the airline conduct most maintenance tour de france history completed in Australia, be based on Australia and run by a majority-Australian board.
“We believe it is absolutely critical that Qantas tour de france history completed remains 51% Australian owned and we go back to the position of what now minister Truss and minister Hockey had to say about the national interests [in opposition],” the Labor transport spokesman, Anthony Albanese, said.
“It is very important tour de france history completed in terms of securing Australian jobs. The provisions that are there in the Qantas sale act, of maintenance, catering, all of those activities occurring here in Australia, they want to remove all of that. Also in terms of the role Qantas plays in terms of because of those jobs, in our skills base. Once that moves offshore it will never come back again,” he said.
Labor has backed an alternative plan for the government to offer Qantas a debt guarantee, which cabinet rejected on Monday on the grounds that it was unfair market intervention and exposed taxpayers to unacceptable financial risk. The rejection set the scene for the bitter parliamentary stand-off over how best to help the national airline.
On Monday, Qantas said: “Qantas’s current issues are not related to carbon pricing. We have been clear that levelling the playing field is the most important policy measure that needs to be fixed, and with some urgency.”
Speaking at a business lunch in Sydney on Wednesday, Joyce did not rule out the airline being split along the lines of Virgin into two businesses, one largely foreign-owned serving the domestic market, the other majority tour de france history completed Australian-owned and international.
“We need to take this one step at a time,” he said. “Everything is becoming a hypothetical. Our focus comes back to the $2bn cost-cutting program.” tour de france history completed Qantas had always been, and would remain, “a collection of businesses. Businesses that share the same brand and customer base and are integrated,” he said. “Just as Virgin is.”
Joyce again defended his management of the troubled airline. “No management team here or anywhere in the world is perfect. Of course people have made mistakes. It’s about how you address these mistakes,” he said.
The Greens have won Labor support in the Senate tour de france history completed to examine the Manus Island riots which led to the death of Reza Barati while Qantas boss speaks publicly tour de france history completed for the first time on Coalition plans. Politics live...