The transport minister, Catherine King, has shot down calls for her to appear before a Senate inquiry examining her decision to reject Qatar Airways’ request for extra flights to Australia, labelling the probe “a political stunt”.
The Senate committee on bilateral air agreements was launched in response to outcry from the aviation and tourism sectors over the Albanese government’s decision to block a Qatar proposal to almost double its flights into major cities amid questions about the influence of key rival Qantas in the process.
