Joyce withheld lock-out plan from Government and Parliament

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce withheld his option to lockout Qantas staff from the Government and Prime Minister although he had considered it "for weeks", Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"The evidence to today's Senate committee makes it clear that grounding the fleet was an inevitable outcome of a lock-out of staff, yet he never flagged his big-stick plan of a lock-out with members of Parliament," Senator Brown said.

"His evidence speaks for itself. The Government and Opposition MPs had numerous talks with Mr Joyce but his entertainment of the lock-out was kept from them.

"The whole affair has done Qantas enormous damage," said Senator Brown, co-sponsor of the Qantas Sale Amendment (Still Call Australia Home) Bill 2011.