It should not have been possible for things to get worse for Qantas after it exhausted all appeals in 2023 but remained guilty of illegally sacking 1800 workers at the height of the pandemic.

But the record penalty today was in no small part due to serious questions about whether the airline has truly changed its ways under new chief executive Vanessa Hudson or merely applied a fresh lick of paint to its old corporate culture.

Qantas boss Vanessa Hudson is still shaking off the legacy of her predecessor Alan Joyce and recently departed chairman Richard Goyder.Credit: Bloomberg

In a judgment that will have corporate Australia collectively choking on their lattes, Justice Michael Lee smashed the airline with a record fine of $90 million to help ensure it would act as a deterrent for other corporate giants contemplating unlawful corporate behaviour on this scale.

And it was matched by his lacerating words.

The judgment chided the airline for its “vehement and regular denials of wrongdoing” in contradiction of his findings and “an attitude of adamantine self-righteousness”.

One matter he raised was the mediation in April last year after Qantas lost its High Court appeal over the sackings.

Despite the replacement of Alan Joyce with Vanessa Hudson as chief executive, the only fresh item on the agenda for the Qantas legal team was an argument denying that compensation was payable to its........

© The Age