Well said that man...
We must compliment Hitch and Oz Flying on the latest 'Last Minute Hitch' article. Good effort on a vexed subject; almost, but not quite openly sketching the way things must pan out. Reading between the lines, the requisite 'cynicism' is there and the doom of Bankstown is signed, sealed and continues to be delivered in small, but lethal doses.
Hitch - "Her policies are clearly laid out in the aviation white paper, which is at least something we can fall back on given that King has made herself somewhat invisible in the aviation community since that tome was published."
One could be forgiven for imagining that 'the Minister' was up late, wrestling with policy, slaving away writing the 'perfect' solutions for a sustainable GA industry, ensuring it would flourish and become a major part of the nations economy. It ain't true of course; the 'White Paper' is a hodgepodge, cobbled together through the collective wisdom of faceless folk, agenda and rice bowl driven. The majority of 'advice' taken comes from the 'big end' of town, cleverly worked into loop holes to wriggle through. It ain't worth tinkers dam to those with investment in the non airline sector.
Hitch - "I can imagine she'll stay elusive until the Coalition gives her a reason to hoist her battle flag, and she won't be doing that unless the opposition come up with competitive policies on aviation ... or anything else for that matter."
Perhaps, but staying in the shadows and protecting the real villains is the real job; ruthlessly pursuing the real; agenda to decimate a once vibrant, innovative, free industry. Long odds on a direct conflict with McKenzie in a public arena, like Estimates.
Hitch - "Strangely (perhaps not), whilst the minister has been talking up how well she has taken into account the needs of stakeholders, provisions for the ongoing health of the general aviation industry have not been mentioned. I suspect that's because they don't exist. How could they? From the moment the name 'Badgerys Creek;' came to national prominence as a potential site for an airport, Bankstown was identified as a political inconvenience. Keeping it viable was going to mean scuppering the new airport, so it needed to be sacrificed."
Not only that: simple arithmetic shows where the big bucks are to be made; and, those dollars mean much, much more to the aerodrome 'owners' and 'donors' to the 'party' than a few scruffy operators taking up valuable leasing space. No brain-er, not really. Reality and Real Estate walk softly, but carry a bloody big stick.
No matter, thanks for the article Hitch; nicely done.
Toot - toot...
We must compliment Hitch and Oz Flying on the latest 'Last Minute Hitch' article. Good effort on a vexed subject; almost, but not quite openly sketching the way things must pan out. Reading between the lines, the requisite 'cynicism' is there and the doom of Bankstown is signed, sealed and continues to be delivered in small, but lethal doses.
Hitch - "Her policies are clearly laid out in the aviation white paper, which is at least something we can fall back on given that King has made herself somewhat invisible in the aviation community since that tome was published."
One could be forgiven for imagining that 'the Minister' was up late, wrestling with policy, slaving away writing the 'perfect' solutions for a sustainable GA industry, ensuring it would flourish and become a major part of the nations economy. It ain't true of course; the 'White Paper' is a hodgepodge, cobbled together through the collective wisdom of faceless folk, agenda and rice bowl driven. The majority of 'advice' taken comes from the 'big end' of town, cleverly worked into loop holes to wriggle through. It ain't worth tinkers dam to those with investment in the non airline sector.
Hitch - "I can imagine she'll stay elusive until the Coalition gives her a reason to hoist her battle flag, and she won't be doing that unless the opposition come up with competitive policies on aviation ... or anything else for that matter."
Perhaps, but staying in the shadows and protecting the real villains is the real job; ruthlessly pursuing the real; agenda to decimate a once vibrant, innovative, free industry. Long odds on a direct conflict with McKenzie in a public arena, like Estimates.
Hitch - "Strangely (perhaps not), whilst the minister has been talking up how well she has taken into account the needs of stakeholders, provisions for the ongoing health of the general aviation industry have not been mentioned. I suspect that's because they don't exist. How could they? From the moment the name 'Badgerys Creek;' came to national prominence as a potential site for an airport, Bankstown was identified as a political inconvenience. Keeping it viable was going to mean scuppering the new airport, so it needed to be sacrificed."
Not only that: simple arithmetic shows where the big bucks are to be made; and, those dollars mean much, much more to the aerodrome 'owners' and 'donors' to the 'party' than a few scruffy operators taking up valuable leasing space. No brain-er, not really. Reality and Real Estate walk softly, but carry a bloody big stick.
No matter, thanks for the article Hitch; nicely done.
Toot - toot...