The Chairmans Lounge by Joe Aston

I've just finished Joe Astons book, The Chairmans Lounge. As regular reader of his column in AFR I was looking for to his book on Qantas, Alan Joyce, and the other executives.

The book did not disappoint and whilst I thought I knew a lot about Qantas, there were plenty of surprises. I won't share any here so as not to spoil it.

Definitely worth a read (or listen on audio book).

I'm not sure I'm rushing out to buy it. JA has had a major burr up his a**e for decades about most of corporate Australia. Yes, he's no doubt raised some legit questions about the relationship between Qantas and enterprise/Government - but I can't help but feel this is a personal crusade/vendetta

Have to agree with mark, JA can write good content but I find that too regularly he struggles to maintain an objective stance and not let personal bias and opinion affect his works. That said, that is probably part of his style and why he has been in the industry as long as he has

Unfortunately I have to agree with Mark and Nate. JA has made a name for himself by making stuff up about Qantas in his personal vendetta against a company that he and his wife used to work for.

A book that reiterates the stuff he made up about Qantas holds no interest for me.

For a critical review of JA's style just Google: Joe Ashton Crikey scalps. He's got quite a record.

So what if it's a personal crusade/vendetta against them. At least someone has the guts and the reach to expose QF; how else would we know all that's been going on between them and Govt...

My issue with JA is that he's like a dumb bomb - he aims it and whatever it hit dies - I've seen a number of very competent executives and business leaders be (borderline) slandered by JA when it would seem clear to a lay person that he's been economical with the facts he shares.

Ultimately, JA is a shock-jock just in print

Joe Aston is not surfacing any new when it comes to a range of issues including (1) political lobbying, and (2) how Qantas uses the Chairmans Lounge to curry favour - these issues have been reported for many many years in the AFR and even in independent media such as Ben Sandilands on Plane Talking/Crikey a few years ago.

Sure. But not everyone has read about it so think of the exposure it's had as a result of the media attention on his book!

Have not read the book yet. Does Joe list the 20 plus flights that Albanese contacted Joyce for an upgrade?

Interestingly, despite the excessive media and political focus on the lobbying/free upgrades part of the book, there is only a small mention of it, and it comes late in the book. This is a shame as it really overlooks many issues, and not just with Qantas, but corporate Australia. The political stuff will blow over, and as everyone is distracted on that, QF gets to cover over all the other issues.

If you're assumptions on the book are based on this, then you're missing a lot.

Perhaps JA has a personal vandetta, his motivations are unknown, but unlike the known spin and false narratives from Qantas, Joyce et al, the book is based on actual events and information.

Think what you may of JA but to ignore the book and issues he exposes, in a lot more detail than his AFR columns, because of your opinion of him is a mistake. It's a great read, excellent information and decent detail. We need more JAs (and Ben Sandilands) drilling into corporate Australia and the execs making decisions, not less. If the book tells us anything, it's that we can't rely on the corporate class to self regulate, or the political class to hold them to account.