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CANBERRA - The consortium looking to buy Qantas says any parliamentary inquiry into the sale of the airline would "be most unfortunate".
The comment comes as politicians returned to Canberra today for the year's first sitting of parliament tomorrow, with the proposed sale of the airline becoming an increasing concern among government backbenchers.
Airline Partners Australia (APA) director Bob Mansfield says the consortium is happy to consider any conditions put on the sale by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).
But Mr Mansfield offered no guarantees.
"I think this independent process (from the FIRB) ... will turn it into a form of approval we can live with," Mr Mansfield told ABC Radio.
"The reality is, it's not a normal company. Additional scrutiny was something we expected."
Australia's Macquarie Bank is the lead partner in APA. The consortium also includes Australian financial services company Allco Finance Group, which is involved in long-term aircraft leasing, and Allco Equity Partners, a listed large-scale private equity company.
US private equity giant Texas Pacific Group and Canadian equity investor ONEX Partners are also partners.
APA on Friday released its formal bidder's statement for Qantas.
Ninety per cent of Qantas shareholders must agree to the A$5.60 ($6.43) per share offer, which opens today, for a takeover to proceed.
Mr Mansfield said the consortium's voluntary decision to subject its Qantas offer to the FIRB was designed to "try and put some calmness in this situation".
However, Liberal backbencher Bruce Baird says only guarantees from the consortium will satisfy him and a growing number of government backbenchers.
"If they want ... government support, then I think it cuts both ways," Mr Baird told ABC Radio.
While he backed away from demanding a full Senate inquiry into the sale, Mr Baird did say the government should require more than the "broad assurances" already offered by APA.
"We need guarantees," he said.
The increasing pressure on the sale process came as a poll commissioned by the ACTU showed almost 80 per cent of voters in government-held marginal seats opposed the sale of the flying kangaroo.
The poll of 400 people in eight marginal seats held by the coalition, conducted by Melbourne social market research company Auspoll, found 79 per cent of those questioned were opposed to the sale.
- AAP
