Transport Minister Catherine King consulted Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong over Qatar’s application for extra flights earlier this year.
Senior bureaucrats from the departments of Transport and Foreign Affairs and Trade are being grilled over Qatar’s rejection of extra flights into Australia.
The Senate inquiry was told this morning that Wong’s office sought advice from Transport Minister Catherine King prior to making the rejection decision.
It has also been reported that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade learnt of the decision that Qatar’s bid for more flights into the country would be blocked before Anthony Albanese was made aware.
The Coalition is pushing for the Albanese government to reveal the reasons behind its decision which could have made flights cheaper for Australians.