Thursday saw officials from Australian flag carrier Qantas reassure the country’s lawmakers that the airline would retain its national identity.

But chief executive Alan Joyce and other top executives also made the case that Qantas International badly needed its planned Asian hub and that a proposed bill to ensure that jobs remain in Australia would limit the carrier’s growth opportunities.

The bill, which currently is neither backed nor supported by Australian lawmakers, would bar foreign staff from working on domestic flights and would require the airline to employ offshore workers in line with wages and conditions provided to Australian nationals. Joyce said that the measure contemplated locking Qantas inside of Australia’s borders and added that it should be free to pursue opportunities worldwide.

The news comes after an independent tribunal ordered an end to the ongoing saga between Qantas management and labour unions, which saw Mr Joyce ground the airline’s entire fleet in an unprecedented move last weekend when he said no end was in sight to the dispute.

The standoff began in August when the airline announced that it would be cutting 1,000 jobs in Australia whilst launching new ventures in Japan and Southeast Asia to offset frequent losses from its international division. The move then prompted a rash of industrial action lasting through October, which Joyce said was costing his company AUD $15 million (£12 million) per week.