Michele Bullock failed to declare Qantas Chairman’s Lounge membership
Incoming Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has updated her register of personal interests after failing for more than a year to declare she was a member of the exclusive Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.
The Australian Financial Review contacted the RBA on Thursday to confirm whether Ms Bullock’s declaration, last updated in June 2023, was accurate. It stated that neither she nor her husband had any memberships where conflicts could arise, including to “airline clubs”.
Michele Bullock updated her disclosures on Thursday. Peter Rae
Following the inquiry, the RBA uploaded an updated declaration showing Ms Bullock and her spouse were members of the exclusive lounge, whose members are handpicked by Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson or the company’s chairman, Richard Goyder. The RBA declined to comment on the update.
Outgoing RBA governor Philip Lowe includes memberships for the Chairman’s Lounge, Virgin’s Beyond Lounge and the National Press Club in Canberra in his declaration of interests.
Ms Bullock’s seven-year term as the RBA’s ninth governor will commence on Monday.
Despite the oversight, Ms Bullock’s membership of the Chairman’s Lounge was included on a separate publicly available register of gifts. The register shows she received membership of the exclusive club in May 2022, just one month after she was appointed RBA deputy governor, following the surprise resignation of Guy Debelle.
The development comes as federal Labor remains under pressure over close ties to Qantas, including revelations in the Financial Review last month that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s son, Nathan Albanese, was given Chairman’s Lounge membership.
The Chairman’s Lounge is for VIP clients travelling on domestic flights within Australia.
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