[Peetwo]

Passing strange??- Back in the limelight.



Slight change of tack but I note that our resident MH370 expert - & super sleuth Muppet - managed to bag an interview with News Corp yesterday that smacks of more cynical obfuscation & outright bollocks...   I fear - from the NOK point of view - that the ATSBeaker/Abbott Govt MH370 bail-out campaign is on base & about to turn final...

Courtesy of news.com.au : 

500 days into MH370 search and still nothing found 

• by: Robyn Ironside National Aviation Writer
  
• From: News Corp Australia Network
  
• 13 hours ago July 21, 2015 12:00AM  
  
  THE man overseeing the search for MH370 never dreamt they would still be hunting for the plane 500 days after it disappeared.  
  
  Today marks the undesirable milestone in the baffling mystery of the Malaysia Airlines’ flight, that vanished soon after taking off from Kuala Lumpur to fly to Beijing on March 8 last year.
  
  It is thought to have ditched into the southern Indian Ocean more than 2000km west of Perth but an extensive air, sea and underwater search has found no trace of the aircraft.
  
  
  
  Tough job ... Fugro Discovery encounters rough conditions in the southern Indian Ocean, as the search for MH370 continues. Picture: James Hancock. Source: Supplied 
  
  In an exclusive interview with News Corp, Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan said in the early stages, the complexity of the search mission was not immediately apparent.
  
  “Once we started looking and defining the search area, it became quite clear it could take up to two years,” said Commissioner Dolan.
  
  “We still remain confident it will be found in the next year.”
  
  So far, close to 60,000 square kilometres of the southern Indian Ocean has been scoured for MH370, leaving a little over 60,000 square kilometres to be searched.
  
  Mr Dolan confirmed that if the Boeing 777 was not discovered in that area, the search would not continue.
  
  “All the analysis we have puts the aircraft somewhere in that large search area,” he said.
  
  “We have no more information that would allow us to calculate a different area and governments accept that.”
  
  The completion of the search would also represent the limit of available funding, Mr Dolan said.
  
  But he refused to entertain the possibility MH370 may never be found, or that it would be left to families to fund their own search.
  
  “It’s hard to speculate on what might happen if we’re not successful,” Commissioner Dolan said.
  
  “All the information we have puts the aircraft in this defined search area.
  
  “The enthusiasm and high morale (of the search crews) remains remarkable. We have a very impressive group of people working for us.”
  
  Just two vessels continue to scour the search zone throughout the harsh winter months, slowing progress considerably.
  
  GO Phoenix returned to Singapore at the start of June after the vessel’s contract with Malaysia ended, and Fugro Supporter withdrew in May when conditions became unsuitable for its sensitive equipment.
  
  Commissioner Dolan said he hoped a third vessel would be able to join the operation later this year, when the weather improved.
  
  “The crews and equipment being used are excellent and the data we’re receiving is (of a quality) beyond the specifications yet,” he said.
  
  “If we have to search the entire area, it will be completed this time next year but we expect to find the aircraft before then.”
  
  Families of the 239 people on board MH370 continue to cling to the belief their loved ones are alive, hashtagging social media posts with “never lose hope”.
  
  There were six Australians on the flight including two Brisbane couples, and a Sydney couple.
  

    
Also on the dizzy limit of some bizarre, bureaucratic obfuscation of the many identified systemic safety issues underpinning aviation safety administration in this country, I note that as of yesterday the inept Dolan lead bureau has finally published the minister's SOE (note the date the SOE was supposed to have come into effect...FFS! )

Minister's statement of expectations


For the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
16 April 2015 to 30 June 2017

This Statement of Expectations (SOE) outlines in a formal and public way, the Government's expectations concerning the operations and performance of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) from 16 April 2015 to 30 June 2017.

This SOE serves as a notice of strategic direction to the ATSB under section 12AE of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (the Act) and replaces the previous SOE which came into effect on 1 July 2013.

My expectations are that the ATSB will:

1. Perform its functions in a manner that supports Government transport safety policy by giving safety the highest priority;
   
2. Continue to give priority to transport safety investigations that have the potential to deliver the best safety outcomes for the travelling public;
   
3. While retaining operational independence in discharging its functions, remain an active and effective participant in the transport policy and regulatory framework, working effectively with the Department of Iinfrastructure and Regional Development, other Government agencies including the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Airservices Australia, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, and the transport industry;
   
4. Continue to be a global leader in transport safety investigation, research and analysis, and fostering public awareness of transport safety;
   
5. Implement the parts of the Government's response to the Aviation Safety Regulation Review Report relevant to the ATSB in an effective and timely manner;
   
6. Implement the agreed recommendations of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada review of the ATSB in an effective and timely manner;
   
7. Prepare a workforce plan to come into effect from 1 July 2015, to be annually updated, which will outline the ATSB's approach to meeting and maintaining its future workforce needs over the next four years to ensure it has access to the skills and competencies necessary to function as a modern transport safety agency;
   
8. Implement policies, programs and other initiatives to enhance transport safety, including:
   a. subject to available resources, providing assistance to accident investigations in other countries, in accordance with international protocols;
   b. supporting the Government's transport safety agenda in the Asia/Pacific region;
   c. continuing to undertake an appropriately-scoped research agenda informed by analysis of its own safety data and investigation findings;
   d. continuing to review current investigation policies and practices to ensure that the ATSB retains its reputation as a best practice safety investigation agency and its influence on the national and international safety agenda;
   
9. Work closely with CASA to ensure continued arrangements are in place, consistent with the current Safety Information Policy Statement and informed by 'just culture' principles, for the appropriate sharing and use of safety information by the ATSB and CASA;
   
10. Work closely with National Rail Safety Regulator to ensure that arrangements are in place for the appropriate sharing and use of safety information by the A TSB and the Regulator and that these arrangements are transparent to the rail industry and consistent with a strong reporting culture;
    
11. Provide timely and accurate assistance, information and advice on safety issues to governments, industry and the community;
    
12. Provide timely advice to Government when the costs of necessary investigation activities are likely to exceed established ATSB budget levels, so that appropriate consideration can be given by the Government to the need for budget supplementation; and
    
13. Maintain high standards of professionalism, service, probity, reporting, accountability and transparency, consistent with the provisions of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and adhere to the Australian Public Service values and code of conduct.
    
    

WARREN TRUSS
Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development
19 April 2015 




Last update 20 July 2015
 

   Not bad Wazza...   However, given this SOE has supposedly been in effect for over 3 months I can already see several glaring deficiencies in the ATSB response to your expectations. These deficiencies are perhaps best highlighted by the fact that it would appear the bureau is yet to submit a Statement of Intent:

Minister's expectations


Minister's Statement of Expectations

• Statement of Expectations
  This Statement of Expectations, covering the period from 16 April 2015 to 30 June 2017, represents a notice of strategic direction under Section 12AE of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.
  

 
Statement of Intent

• Statement of Intent 
  This Statement of Intent describes the ATSB's functions and approach and outlines priorities which will form the basis for the ATSB's business and resource allocations. Those priorities and related key business outputs are consistent with the Minister's expectations and broader Government policy in the area of transport safety.
  

Last update 20 July 2015
   

Oh well at least the Commissioners collectively appear to be happy little campers, plus CM is not the invisible man :
ATSB Commission

From left to right: Ms Carolyn Walsh, Mr Chris Manning, Mr Martin Dolan, Mr Noel Hart


MTF...P2