David Pocock and Barbara Pocock are the latest in a string of independent and minor party politicians to renounce the ‘Canberra bonus’ in the name of integrity
Two senators, the independent senator David Pocock and the Green’s Barbara Pocock, updated their registers of interest this week to reveal they were no longer members of the invite-only airport lounge.
“I just don’t think it’s worth it,” he told Guardian Australia. “It’s kind of an example of what’s wrong with“The use of sort of soft power and little benefits here and there that over time add up.” The senator said even a perceived conflict of interest was a good reason to rip up her golden ticket to the lounge.
Barbara Pocock’s colleague, Brisbane MP Stephen Bates, said relinquishing his privileged access to the lounge “wasn’t a big deal” because he “wasn’t using it much anyway”. Led by the Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, the committee has also been looking at whether Qantas’ lobbying efforts influenced the federal government in its decision-making process to the detriment of consumers and the wider economy.
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