While the Morrison government's COVID-19 pandemic response was hurriedly cobbled together out of necessity in early 2020, the taxpayer largesse continued even as it became obvious that not all companies were adversely impacted.
Once a government-owned enterprise, the airline still is considered a "national carrier". Given the extraordinary level of taxpayer support, it seems almost inconceivable the government did not demand an equity stake in the operation. Instead, Joyce has been allowed to hand back $1.5 billion to investors via share buybacks, which have the effect of boosting the Qantas share price and maximising benefits to Qantas executives, including the outgoing chief executive.Will Qantas pay for protection?He'd routinely run through the list of competitors that had gone belly up during his time with the Flying Kangaroo, from Ansett on.
That's no longer the case. With its ageing fleet of tired old jets, the shine has well and truly come off the brand.