Labor's pitch to wipe 16-billion dollars of student loan debt hit stiff opposition in parliament today with the coalition describing, it as a terrible and irresponsible plan. But as the federal government insisted it will ease cost of living pressures for millions of young people. The issue of Qantas upgrades reared its head again.
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00:00A study in selfie skills. The Prime Minister positioning for a poll date, still not in
00:09focus.
00:10I hope I got it.
00:11Anthony Albanese at parliament with TAFE and university students on the back of a higher
00:16education pre-election pitch which includes wiping 20% of student loan debt. Hugely significant
00:24for some.
00:25$11,400.
00:26Oh, you've already done the calculation.
00:30It's unfair. You could have used that money much better.
00:34With the coalition arguing that at a cost of $16 billion, it's bad policy.
00:40This is a terrible economic decision. Incredibly irresponsible. That essentially transfers
00:47student debt to other taxpayers.
00:49We make no apology for doing everything we can to relieve that financial pressure.
00:553, 2, 1.
00:57From higher education benefits to flight benefits. The Prime Minister struggling to
01:03shake attention over flight upgrades and his relationship with former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
01:10He flatly denies asking for any upgrades and says he's not aware of his staff asking for
01:15any on his behalf either.
01:17Not to my knowledge, no.
01:19Not to your knowledge, again that's...
01:21Upgrades, these upgrades, you're talking about a 30 year period.
01:25Some independents announcing they've relinquished their memberships to the exclusive Qantas
01:30Chairman's Lounge.
01:31There is a deep suspicion that if politicians are getting secret freebies that it might
01:37influence their decisions.
01:39Transparency was a key feature of the last election and in the lead up to this one, some
01:44politicians are snipping the wind, noting the public distaste for political perks and
01:49quickly moving to create distance.
01:52But opposition leader Peter Dutton's pursuit of the matter has gone cold.
01:56After last week suggesting the Prime Minister should be referred to the corruption watchdog,
02:00today not a single question on the issue from the opposition benches.