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| Slatts11, it would appear that Nick got his 15 minutes of fame over the senate inquiry and has now moved on to bigger and better things. |
Eddie I’m not so sure about that, have a look here:
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| Senator Xenophon queries political donations by regional airline Rex INDEPENDENT senator Nick Xenophon has called large political donations by listed regional airline Rex “incredibly baffling” and said he would be buying shares in the company so he could press board members on why the donations were made. Mr Xenophon, who led a Senate committee inquiry into much criticised government investigation into the crash of a Rex-owned passenger plane off Norfolk Island, said the airline had an “obligation” to disclose why the donations were made.Between July and November 2012 — amid a three-year inquiry into the Norfolk Island crash — Rex made a $250,000 donation to the ALP, $95,700 to the federal Nationals and $40,000 to the Liberal Party. This made the small airline one of the biggest political donors in the country.“Rex is a public company and it had an obligation to explain whether even one (word) regarding the crash was spoken with any of the political parties,” Mr Xenophon told The Australian.“This largesse to political parties is inexplicably baffling and I will be buying some shares in Rex and asking them to explain it.”Rex spokeswoman Alicia Chapple has declined to respond to repeated questions from The Australian this week regarding the donations and other matters, saying that the airline did “not see the need to devote additional resources to this matter”.The airline had earlier incorrectly claimed it had made no donations to the LNP; however, when shown otherwise, Ms Chapple said the airline had meant it had made no donations to the Queensland LNP.Of particular interest was Rex’s $250,000 donation to the federal ALP given the airline was a highly vocal critic of the Labor government.In 2013 Rex publicly said the ALP was “hellbent” on destroying regional aviation and “along with it pretty much the rest of the economy”.Mr Xenophon said it appeared to defy reason why Rex would donate heavily to a government it would shortly afterwards describe as “destroying its industry”.“Perhaps Rex had a case of Stockholm syndrome?” he said.In 2009 a Rex aeroplane — operated under the group’s Pel-Air brand — ditched into the ocean with six passengers on board, badly injuring one. A lengthy Australian Transport Safety Board investigation blamed the Pel-Air pilot involved in the crash but failed to mention 57 breaches or “serious deficiencies” at Pel-Air.Mr Xenophon headed a Senate committee inquiry into that botched investigation, which led to the federal government last month calling on the ATSB to reopen the investigation. Rex has also come under the spotlight after it was last year awarded a series of key Queensland government contracts which had previously been held by Cairns-based rival Skytrans. |
And here yesterday also from the Oz: Lawyer and senator back engineers in aircraft maintenance dispute
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| Officials from the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association have briefed politicians from all parties on the issue and received initial support from independent senator Nick Xenophon for a disallowance motion aimed at reversing Civil Aviation Safety Authority amendments to maintenance regulations.Senator Xenophon filed a notice of motion on December 4 for disallowance of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations Part 145 Manual of Standards amendments relating to specialist maintenance workers. |
And as slats said there is the small matter of an outstanding MoP yet to be resolved –Possible imposition of a penalty on a witness before the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee or a person providing information to the committee
the final washout of the forensic examination of the performance of ASA
Certainly doesn’t appear to me that Senator X has lost interest in matters of an aviation safety nature…
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