By Brittany Chain, Political Correspondent For Daily Mail Australia
02:37 26 Oct 2023, up to date 02:37 26 Oct 2023
The journey habits of Anthony Albanese’s beloved canine Toto have come underneath scrutiny because it’s revealed she has possible been travelling on VIP flights with the Prime Minister.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie grilled Air Force Chief Robert Chipman at an intense Senate listening to on Wednesday about Toto’s travels.
‘Could you present a listing of all flights because the twenty first of May 2022 on which animals – and particularly an animal known as Toto – have been permitted on-board particular function plane?’ she requested.
Mr Chipman confirmed {that a} pet had been identified to journey on the particular function plane primarily utilized by the Prime Minister for official duties.
‘I’m conscious that there’s a historical past of VIPs travelling with pets on VIP plane,’ he stated.
‘(But) we don’t maintain complete data of when animals journey on VIP plane.’
Pets on VIP flights don’t have to put on a muzzle however should be restrained in some type of harness, the air marshal stated.
All animals stay the duty of the passenger – not the crew or pilot on board.
Senator McKenzie – who lately led a probe into the choice to dam extra Qatar Airways flights into Australia – sought to search out out precisely what number of occasions Toto had been a visitor on the airplane.
‘Are animals recorded on the flight manifest?’ she requested.
Mr Chipman stated it was not customary apply to take action, however there had been events when the presence of an animal on a particular function plane was ‘annotated’, so later added to the formal manifest.
‘I’ve no data of how usually [it happens],’ he stated.
‘I do know now we have data to point that it has occurred.’
The authorities has been going through warmth over its refusal to launch sure particulars about particular function flights, citing security issues for these on board.
But Ms McKenzie argued there ‘certainly’ would not be such a priority about releasing the id of pets on board.
‘The safety coordination committee recommendation doesn’t go particularly to naming animals on the plane,’ Mr Chipman conceded.
But due to the haphazard method during which pet journey is recorded, Mr Chipman was unable to reply a direct query in regards to the variety of flights Toto particularly has taken since Mr Albanese turned Prime Minister in May 2022.
Toto is usually pictured with the Prime Minister, and have become a star in her personal proper throughout the intense campaigning interval forward of the 2022 election.
The pooch splits her time between her proprietor’s residences at Kirribilli House in Sydney and The Lodge in Canberra when parliament is sitting.
‘Toto has a very model of pet food, it is the one one she is going to eat – sure, she’s a princess,’ the Prime Minister advised Nova radio station earlier this 12 months.
