Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link
Published . Updated .
A submission to the royal commission alleges the Labor government intentionally inflated costs and threatened to sack a senior public servant to get its preferred Airport Rail Link route over the line.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- IYT iShares U.S. Transportation ETF
iShares U.S. Transportation ETF: it holds transport and logistics firms. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story.
- UPS United Parcel Service+5.7% 17d
United Parcel Service (trucking and courier services (no air)): freight and delivery firms move with trade volumes. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story.
- FDX FedEx+5.8% 30d
FedEx (air courier services): freight and delivery firms move with trade volumes. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story.
- UNP Union Pacific+6.6% 30d
Union Pacific (railroads, line-haul operating): freight and delivery firms move with trade volumes. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story.
- BKNG Booking Holdings-12.1% 30d
Booking Holdings (transportation services): freight and delivery firms move with trade volumes. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IYT | -1.16% | -1.02% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| UPS | -7.43% | -2.45% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| FDX | -3.89% | -2.55% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| UNP | -2.30% | -2.10% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| BKNG | +3.37% | -0.13% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
Market Call
Think this story will push the stock up or down over the next three trading days? Make a free call and see what other readers think. Points are play money with no cash value.
Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Source: ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Price since this story was published: Ishares Tr (IYT)
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking Holdings (BKNG) | three days earlier | -0.13% | final price |
| Booking Holdings (BKNG) | five days earlier | +3.37% | final price |
| Fedex (FDX) | three days earlier | -2.55% | final price |
| Fedex (FDX) | five days earlier | -3.89% | final price |
| Ishares Tr (IYT) | three days earlier | -1.02% | final price |
| Ishares Tr (IYT) | five days earlier | -1.16% | final price |
| Union Pacific (UNP) | three days earlier | -2.10% | final price |
| Union Pacific (UNP) | five days earlier | -2.30% | final price |
| United Parcel Service (UPS) | three days earlier | -2.45% | final price |
| United Parcel Service (UPS) | five days earlier | -7.43% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Rick Larsen sold Fedex (FDX), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 8 Oct 2026. That is 25 days before publication. Filed 12 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Fedex (FDX) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 38 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar sold Fedex (FDX), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 24 Sep 2026. That is 39 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Booking Holdings (BKNG) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 38 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Booking Holdings (BKNG) (held by a dependent child), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 11 Sep 2026. That is 52 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Booking Holdings (BKNG), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 21 Aug 2026. That is 73 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who gains and who loses around Ishares Tr (IYT)
Companies tied to this story
- IYT Ishares Tr
In “Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link,” Ishares Tr (IYT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: iShares U.S. Transportation ETF: it holds transport and logistics firms. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story
- EWA Ishares Inc Msci Australia Etf
For “Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link,” Ishares Inc Msci Australia Etf (EWA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: iShares MSCI Australia ETF holds stocks listed in Australia, which this story is about (“australian”)
- UPS United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service (UPS) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 2 Nov 2026 story “Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link.” Reason on file: United Parcel Service (trucking and courier services (no air)): freight and delivery firms move with trade volumes. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story
- FDX Fedex
Fedex (FDX) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 2 Nov 2026 story “Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link.” Reason on file: FedEx (air courier services): freight and delivery firms move with trade volumes. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story
- UNP Union Pacific
For “Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link,” Union Pacific (UNP) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Union Pacific (railroads, line-haul operating): freight and delivery firms move with trade volumes. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story
- BKNG Booking Holdings
Booking Holdings (BKNG) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 2 Nov 2026 story “Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link.” Reason on file: Booking Holdings (transportation services): freight and delivery firms move with trade volumes. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story
Ishares Tr (IYT)
The 2 Nov 2026 story “Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link” names Ishares Tr (IYT) because of this story.
For Ishares Tr (IYT), the reason on file says iShares U.S. Transportation ETF: it holds transport and logistics firms. Linked by “rail” (transport and logistics) in this story
Ishares Inc Msci Australia Etf (EWA) is here too. Its reason reads: iShares MSCI Australia ETF holds stocks listed in Australia, which this story is about (“australian”)
The price range for Ishares Tr (IYT), and the dates in the story
EWA traded between 27.76 and 29.31 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 29.12. UPS traded between 91.59 and 108.99 across 15 sessions. The latest close on file is 108.26.
A simple score for Ishares Tr (IYT)
46 out of 100
“Labor allegedly used threats and inflated costs to dictate Airport Rail Link” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 6 linked companies.