Correspondence with the APS Commissioner

Written by Claude Haiku 5.5 from the extracted text on 20 Oct 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

This FOI release comprises an email exchange between an ATO data analyst and APS Commissioner Dr Gordon de Brouwer, with the Commissioner's reply of 10 July 2025, concerning his Qantas Chairman's Lounge membership and official travel. The analyst asks whether the Commissioner is bound by the Lowest Practical Fare travel rule, why 44 of 45 domestic and international flights in FY2024 and FY2025 were with Qantas, whether he had Virgin Beyond Lounge membership on 13 December 2024 as stated in Senate Estimates answers, and whether airline lounge gifts create a conflict of interest. The Commissioner responds that he follows the APSC lowest practical fare policy, that Virgin did not serve three locations (nine flights) and had timing conflicts on at least 12 flights, that some Virgin bookings were cancelled and rebooked with Qantas, and that he has no conflict of interest. The email also raises a perceived double standard over a Samsung government employee discount.