Keywords: Qantas Chairman's Lounge Membership, ACCC Officials, ACCC Chair, ACCC Chief Executive Officer, Conflict Of Interest

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 27 Feb 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

The ACCC released a gifts and hospitality declaration approved on 3 April 2025 concerning Associate Commissioner Stephen Ridgeway's receipt of Qantas Chairman's Lounge membership. ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb reviewed the arrangement and determined it was appropriate, finding the membership was provided in the course of official duties and enabled Ridgeway to perform his responsibilities more effectively while travelling. Although acknowledging potential conflict of interest perceptions, Cass-Gottlieb concluded this was adequately addressed through public disclosure on the ACCC's gifts and hospitality register and standard agency procedures for matter management and statutory decision-making. The decision reveals internal governance processes around executive benefits and their management within the competition regulator.