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Is Qantas sorry – or just sorry it got caught?

Aug 21, 2025 •

Qantas has been told it’s the “wrong kind of sorry”.

Five years after illegally outsourcing 1,800 ground staff, the airline has been hit with a record $90 million penalty on top of compensation for workers.

Qantas is promising cultural change, but the court's judgment questions whether the airline’s remorse is real or just for show, given the move saved the company hundreds of millions of dollars in the long run.

Today, Rampart founder and author of The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, Joe Aston, on what this ruling means for the airline – and whether anything has changed since Alan Joyce's departure.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

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Is Qantas sorry – or just sorry it got caught?

1645 • Aug 21, 2025

Is Qantas sorry – or just sorry it got caught?

Qantas has been told it’s the “wrong kind of sorry”.

Five years after illegally outsourcing 1,800 ground staff, the airline has been hit with a record $90 million penalty on top of compensation for workers.

Qantas is promising cultural change, but the court's judgment questions whether the airline’s remorse is real or just for show, given the move saved the company hundreds of millions of dollars in the long run.

Today, Rampart founder and author of The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, Joe Aston, on what this ruling means for the airline – and whether anything has changed since Alan Joyce's departure.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Guest: Rampart founder and author of The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, Joe Aston

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7am is a daily show from Solstice Media.

It’s made by Atticus Bastow, Cheyne Anderson, Chris Dengate, Daniel James, Ruby Jones, Sarah McVeigh, Travis Evans and Zoltan Fecso.

Our theme music is by Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan of Envelope Audio.





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1645: Is Qantas sorry – or just sorry it got caught?