Qantas defends airline’s role in SSM campaign
Image: Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce. (PHOTO: Ann-Marie Calilhanna; Star Observer)
Qantas chair Leigh Clifford has defended the airline’s role in the marriage equality debate.
Speaking at Qantas’s annual general meeting, Clifford addressed questions from shareholders who wanted to know why the airline thought it should have a role in the campaign, The Australian has reported.
Clifford pointed out that the airline was far from the only company to back the Yes campaign, with over 1,300 businesses having signed up in support of marriage equality, and said that Qantas has “always stood up for equality and a fair go”.
“As part of that we lend our support to a range of social issues such as gender diversity, Indigenous rights and reconciliation, and marriage equality,” he said.
“We believe there’s a moral case for supporting equality in general as well as a strong business case.
“We have never directed others what to think about marriage equality or how to vote in the postal survey.
“We’ve only asked for respectful debate on the issue and that includes respect for those who disagree… just as we do on economic matters I think it is the responsibility of large corporate to speak up on social issues when it aligns with our values.”
In addition to the airline’s support of marriage equality, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce personally donated $1 million to the Yes campaign.
Qantas’s support for equality continued throughout the campaign, despite Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s call for Joyce and other CEOs to “stick to their knitting”.
In May, a marriage equality opponent hit Joyce in the face with a pie at a breakfast event. The attacker was subsequently banned from the airline for life.
I think Mr Clifford should have made sure he had support from a large percentage of Quantas shareholders before he let his CEO campaign his personal agenda under the Quantas banner. If I was a shareholder ( which i’m not ) I would be wanting a please explain as well. This is another example of Corporate CEO’S trying to persuade the opinions and thoughts of its employers and customers. When will they learn that everyday Australians don’t like the ” Big Boys ” trying to tell them what to do or think. All Quantas had to say at the start was ” yes we support marriage equality ” and left it at that, not have their CEO trying to give us life skill lessons.
Go Qantas(s), its great to see you standing up for equality…I have flown qantas a few times and its been fun…spunky flight attendants
It’s pretty simple economics. Lots of businesses operate in international environments, dealing with wealthy clients from western nations. It’s an embarrassment to them that Australia has been so far unable to extend normal western civil rights to same sex couples. So they have to not just quietly support SSM on moral grounds, they have to visibly support it or risk losing regular international customers. Qantas and Air BNB are two classic examples of this. Good on them for doing the right thing, sure, but the fact is this was as much a self-interested commercial decision as a moral one.