Qantas ‘BANS’ Senator Fraser Anning from its invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge club over Christchurch terror comments
- Airline reportedly banned the senator after his comments about Christchurch
- Mr Anning has been censured by Parliament for his ‘shameful’ comments
- The invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge is frequented by members of Parliament
Qantas has reportedly banned Fraser Anning from its exclusive Chairman’s Lounge club over his Christchurch terror comments.
The independent senator blamed the March 15 massacre, in which 50 people died, on Muslim immigration.
The Chairman’s Lounge can only be accessed through an invitation and is frequented by federal members of parliament and top business elites.
Members are offered flight seat upgrades, an a la carte menu, a comfortable lounge and table service.
The exclusive access has been around for almost 30 years but Qantas has remained secretive about how it selects people or how many members there are.
Qantas has reportedly banned Fraser Anning (pictured on Thursday) from its exclusive Chairman’s Lounge club over his Christchurch terror comments
The independent politician blamed the March 15 massacre, which cost 50 lives, on Muslim immigration
Qantas said last week the airline would review Mr Anning’s access to the invitation-only lounge – and on Thursday banned him, according to The Australian.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for comment.
Mr Anning was censured by parliament for his ‘shameful and pathetic’ comments on Wednesday.
‘Senator Anning’s comments were ugly and divisive. They were dangerous and unacceptable from anyone, let alone a member of this place,’ government Senate leader Mathias Cormann told parliament.
Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong said while scores of injured people were being treated for gunshot wounds, Senator Anning fanned the flames of division.
‘How pathetic. How shameful. A shameful and pathetic attempt by a bloke who has never been elected to get attention by exploiting diversity as a fault line for political advantage,’ she said, without mentioning Anning’s name.
The Government and the opposition joined together to a move a motion censuring Anning, following his statements about Christchurch.
Cory Bernardi, the leader of the Australian Conservatives, opposed parts of the motion but agreed he should be banned from the Chairman’s lounge.
Senator Anning did not stay in the chamber for the vote.
The Greens pushed for Senator Anning to be suspended from Senate but that motion was defeated 40-10.
No senator voted against the part of the motion which censured Senator Anning.
The Chairman’s Lounge can only be accessed through an invitation and is frequented by federal members of Parliament and top business elites
The Qantas Chairman’s Lounge membership offers flight seat upgrades, an a la carte menu, a comfortable lounge and table service
He originally stood for One nation and entered parliament after the party’s Malcolm Roberts was disqualified for being a dual citizen in 2017.
Senator Anning labelled the comments of Parliament as a ‘witch hunt’, which was a ‘blatant attack on free speech’.
‘This is exactly the kind of self-righteous, left-wing intolerance of alternative views that you would expect from an extremist party like the greens,’ he said.
Senator Anning also whacked the Australian teenager dubbed ‘Egg Boy’ twice in the face, after the 17-year-old slapped an egg on the politician’s head, following his widely-condemned comments.
Will Connolly was then punched in the face twice by Mr Anning before being tackled to the ground and put in a choke-hold by four of the Senator’s supporters.
Senator Anning labelled the comments of Parliament as a ‘witch hunt’, which was a ‘blatant attack on free speech’
The Government and the opposition joined together to a move a motion censuring Anning, following his statements about Christchurch