It’s the largest corporate fine for industrial relations breaches in Australian history: a mammoth $90 million, handed down to Qantas for the illegal outsourcing of around 1,800 ground workers during the pandemic – on top of $120 million already imposed in compensation.
At 75 per cent of the maximum penalty, it will doubtless put the fear of God (and the unions) into other large companies who might be considering similar moves, and the national carrier has offered an apology – but is it really sorry, or, as Justice Michael Lee speculated, only sorry it got caught?
Jake and special guest host Emilie Lauer of Smart Property Investment unpack the ramifications of the fine and ask whether a leopard ... or a Flying Kangaroo ... really can change its spots.
Plus, between ageing planes, razor-thin margins and soaring airfares, what can be done about the ongoing travails of regional aviation?