“There’s a story out there about protecting Qantas,I think it runs deeper than that. I would like to hear from the Minister,” Turner said,adding that the decision favoured Qantas.
Transport Minister Catherine King has faced fierce criticism over the way she handled the Qatar Airways rejection over recent months and the lack of clarity as to why the flights were rejected. The bulk of the tourism industry and independent industry researchers such as economist Dr Tony Webber have said the extra flights would have lowered airfares and generated up to $1 billion in additional tourism revenue.