Senior public servants should declare membership of invite-only airline lounges, according to the latest APSC guidance on agency heads’ gifts and benefits.
The guidance now says those memberships should be reported, including to the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.
“In circumstances where agency heads are gifted airline lounge memberships (including those which are invitation-only), these must be recorded in their agency’s gifts and benefits register annually or when circumstances change, such as a new or cancelled membership,” the guidance stated.
Qantas revealed earlier that membership of its invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge is extended to “secretaries and deputy secretaries of commonwealth departments, the chairs, chief commissioners and CEOs of key agencies and senior members of the military”.
The new guidance comes amidst scrutiny over the relationship between Qantas and the government, including politicians.
According to the APSC’s gifts and benefits register, APS commissioner Gordon de Brouwer has Qantas membership. PM&C’s Glyn Davis also has Qantas Chairman’s Lounge membership.
The October secretaries board communique flagged the change, saying the APSC would be developing the now-released guidance on how senior federal bureaucrats should report their memberships.
The broader guidance for disclosing gifts or benefits is for agency heads to disclose those valued over $100.
“Reporting gifts and benefits accepted by agency heads in the performance of official duties helps to maintain public confidence in the integrity of APS agencies and the APS more broadly,” the guidance stated.
The two principles underpinning the guidance is for agency heads to meet public expectations of integrity in the public service and for consistency across APS agencies and commonwealth entities and companies.
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