Albanese’s media boss flying high with Qantas Chairman’s Lounge access

April 15, 2026 — 5:00am

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At this point it might be more efficient to compile a list of those close to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who do not enjoy access to one of the most exclusive clubs in Australia: the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge.

The latest, and perhaps most intriguing, member of the club to cross our desk is none other than Albanese’s director of media, Fiona Sugden, who joined the prime minister in early 2024 after a stint working as Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s senior communications executive at Fortescue.

Word is that Sugden was given membership to the Chairman’s Lounge during her time at Fortescue, according to two sources briefed on the arrangement, but retained the perk after joining the Prime Minister’s Office.

Why the intrigue? Well, at least as far as we’re aware, Qantas has historically only offered the prime minister, his chief of staff and principal private secretary the exclusive perk as part of the complement of memberships awarded to the Prime Minister’s Office.

But our efforts to learn more about the arrangement turned up nothing. Qantas declined to comment on how often the membership is........

© The Sydney Morning Herald