The Australian national carrier Qantas is painting political messages on some of its aircraft the airline confirmed this week. So far it has placed a special livery on three of its planes to support the YES vote in an upcoming referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Whilst cabin crew are actively discouraged from voicing political opinions whilst on duty, the airline says the Yes23 campaign logo, will be carried on at least three aircraft: a Qantas Boeing 737, a QantasLink Dash 8 Turboprop and a Jetstar Airbus A320.
The outgoing Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce claims support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament was part of the airline's commitment to reconciliation and, more broadly, the notion of a ‘fair go’. "Qantas has a long history of supporting reconciliation with First Nations people, from the Aboriginal artwork on our inflight magazine in the 1960s and on our aircraft since the 1990s, to our support for constitutional recognition in 2014, public support of the Uluru Statement of the Heart 2019, and our First Nations employment and supplier commitments," he said.
Joyce added: "We’re supporting the Yes23 campaign because we believe a formal voice to the government will help close the gap for First Nations people in important areas like health, education and employment."