Bureaucrats forced to fly economy as tribunal contradicts government

Government board members and leaders of Commonwealth agencies flying between Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne will be forced to endure economy seats despite the government insisting public servants be permitted to sit in business class.

The Albanese government quietly revealed this month that it had rejected a recommendation from the Finance Department that required bureaucrats to travel economy on flights of less than three hours, effectively allowing them to stay in business class.

But the Remuneration Tribunal, an independent agency responsible for setting pay and perks rules for Commonwealth officials, including department heads, politicians and other senior bureaucrats, announced on Thursday that it was removing access to business-class travel for “tier-two” office holders.

Tier-two office holders tend to be leaders of some government corporations and agencies, or those serving on government boards and councils. This includes leaders of the High-Speed Rail Authority Board, Housing Australia, Northern Territory Aboriginal Investment Corporation, Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Australian Research Council, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority.

Secretaries of major departments or high-profile roles such as the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia are classified under tier one, meaning they are still entitled to fly business class on domestic flights.

A national outcry over government travel perks exploded last year after commentator Joe Aston revealed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had received at least 22 free Qantas upgrades from economy class, worth tens of thousands of dollars, as had other politicians and public servants.

The Department of Finance review called for public servants to be required to use economy rather than business class on flights of less than three hours, which could save up to $4 million a year on domestic flights.

“While there can be operational requirements to use business class on longer flights where government officials are expected to rest on the flight and arrive and commence work immediately, there are few operational requirements for shorter flights, especially those under three hours,” the report stated.