Climate Lobbying Overview: Qantas appears to have limited, mixed engagement with climate policy in 2020-21. While Qantas appears to support GHG emissions reductions in line with the Paris Agreement, in 2020 it appeared to lobby the Australian government to weaken the CORSIA offsetting scheme, and remains a member of numerous industry associations lobbying negatively on climate policies.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: According to statements on their corporate webpage, Qantas support global GHG emissions reductions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and consistent with maintaining global temperature rise to 2 degrees. Further evidence from their corporate webpage suggests Qantas supports carbon neutrality by 2050 through the introduction of new technologies. Qantas also appear supportive of more ambitious Australian government policy to respond to climate change, with CEO Alan Joyce reportedly saying: “The world is becoming more ambitious in tackling climate change and so must we", in November 2020. However, apart from supporting the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO’s) Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) with a 2019 baseline, Qantas appears to provide no further details on the policies it supports.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Qantas appear to have very limited disclosure and direct engagement with specific climate policies. Although Qantas appear supportive of the global CORSIA offsetting scheme for aviation, in September 2020 a document obtained via freedom of information request show Qantas actively lobbying the Australian government to change the CORSIA baseline, potentially weakening the emissions' reduction potential of the policy, citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry. Their corporate webpage suggests Qantas is supportive of legislation promoting biofuels within the aviation industry. Qantas has also not provided a response to CDP 2021 Climate Change Information Request.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Qantas appear to support a global increase in the use of sustainable aviation fuels, but it is unclear if they support a future energy mix in line with IPCC guidelines. Qantas Airlines CEO Alan Joyce, stated in a November 2021 media release that he is “having conversations with the rest of the industry and governments on how to kickstart” an SAF sector in Australia. In December 2021, Qantas chief sustainability officer Andrew Parker offered support to fuels produced with certified bio-feedstocks and blended with fossil fuels. Additionally, in a December 2021 SimpleFlying report, Alan Joyce described SAFs as “critical” to the airline industry in the short and medium term while noting the “expense, production volumes, and infrastructure” issues for SAFs and warned that airlines must “manage their increasing use of SAFs carefully to avoid unforeseen problems”.

Industry Association Governance: Qantas lacks a dedicated webpage detailing a full list of memberships and its engagement with industry associations on climate policies, only partially disclosing the memberships of some industry associations on its website. It has not published an industry association review. Qantas is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), who have negative engagement with global climate policy for aviation, and CEO Alan Joyce is a director of the Business Council of Australia. Qantas is also a member of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME). However, Qantas is a member of the Carbon Market Institute which appear to lobby positively on climate policies.