[Peetwo]

FWIW Supp Estimates - ASA, CASA?? 

For a real example of bureaucrats that are totally 'Aviation – a' la King' any real ministerial oversight, review the following from Supplementary Budget Estimates sessions:

Senator McKENZIE: It's great to see you, Airservices Australia. There was a spate of severe disruption events at major airports over July-August. Mr Sharp, I'm surprised that you spoke about Western Sydney airport opening and your packages, but you didn't mention the near misses—

Mr Sharp : I specifically did, sorry.

Senator McKENZIE: resulting in delays, and cancellations of hundreds of flights as a result of air traffic control staff shortages. There have also been six near-miss events between aircraft at Sydney airport within a month, between 27 July, and two separate events on 9 August, 17 August, 18 August and 25 August. The ATSB just today has released its preliminary report on two of those events. Given you've reported employing more air traffic controllers across Australia than pre-COVID, why have there been so many staff-related delays and cancellations inflicted on the flying public at Sydney airport?

Mr Sharp : I fully acknowledge the issues that took place in July and August. It has impacted on the public, and we've publicly apologised for that. It is a tale of two stories. We have actually recruited 170 air traffic controllers in the time that I've been in this role. However, Sydney remains an issue for us. Whilst technically, on paper, we have the required numbers of staff in Sydney, I've mentioned before that the resilience in Sydney is not there. We do need to keep recruiting. Sydney is quite complex. It's our most complex network hub. If you sneeze in Sydney, it affects the rest of the nation, so we are actively working on it. It's not one where you can just click your fingers and put staff in. Over the last 18 months, we've had a resilience plan, which we're working on. However, we did experience a spate of issues in July and August, and this is the consistency issue that I talked about, with the feedback we're getting from the airlines. We are working with a working group to resolve this issue, and there is a detailed plan that we've developed in conjunction with the industry.

Senator McKENZIE: Given your poor performance impacting flights, with chronic delays and cancellations over the past few months, how can Airservices Australia justify its application for an additional $150 million in air traffic control taxes on flights per year, which is currently before the ACCC?

Mr Sharp : Our funding for the organisation comes through a building block model, regulatory model, which is articulated in legislation. Where we invest in infrastructure—OneSKY, the opening of Western Sydney International, replacement of safety fire trucks that are at end of age—there's a return that we get. That price comes out of that particular process. In regard to performance, we're clearly needing to have skin in the game, and we are in conversations with the airlines, in conjunction with the pricing, about an incentive/penalty-type regime, similar to what's in Europe.

Senator McKENZIE: Sorry, Mr Sharp; your performance has been appalling and you are asking customers, essentially, to pay an additional $150 million a year in taxes to reward your poor behaviour and poor performance. Don't talk me through resilience plans et cetera. You're here to explain why you think increasing air fares across the country by $150 million a year will actually assist your performance.

Mr Sharp : The pricing is geared to delivering the services that we provide to the airlines. That actually underpins it. Part of the challenge is that Airservices hasn't put its pricing up for over a decade. It's actually 24 per cent lower.

Senator McKENZIE: There would be arguments to say you haven't earned the right to actually increase prices, because the actual bare-minimum service provision expected of Airservices Australia isn't being achieved, with cancellations, delays and six near misses...(HANSARD LINK)

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released all six preliminary reports investigating aircraft coordination and safety incidents at Sydney Airport between July and August 2026. [1, 2]

Key Findings and Regulatory Response

• Incident Spike: Sydney Airport experienced 11 safety issues over the two-month span—significantly higher than the typical average of three—comprising runway incursions, taxiway near-collisions, and losses of separation. [1, 2]
  
• Systemic Factors: Investigations are examining air traffic control resourcing, combined roles within Sydney Tower, heavy reliance on overtime, and controller fatigue. [1, 2, 3]
  
• Oversight: The federal government formed an independent panel to monitor Airservices Australia, while the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) initiated a safety assurance review. [1, 2]
  

 

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: Even though the safety of the airline has been oversighted under an Australian air operator's certificate.

Mr Bouttell : That's correct.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: Do you know, since January 2024, how many air returns or turnbacks involving Nauru Airlines have been notified to CASA?

Mr Bouttell : I don't have that exact data in front of me on air returns. I guess the other thing is that air returns happen for a range of different reasons, not just technical or safety.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: Can you provide the list of air returns or turnbacks? Are air returns and turnbacks the same thing?

Mr Bouttell : Yes, the same thing. We don't capture that information unless there's been an ATSB occurrence report or, alternatively, a report made to Airservices Australia.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: I am advised that there have been at least eight turnbacks by Nauru Airlines aircraft out of Brisbane this year. That would be a lot, wouldn't it, for a small fleet?

Mr Bouttell : Probably. It depends on what the circumstances were. It could be unruly passengers. It could be technical.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: You tell me you don't track the data.

Mr Bouttell : Often we don't receive the data. It's not a requirement, if they've got a non-safety related matter, for them to make a report. It's a commercial decision sometimes.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: I am told there have been a disturbing number of turnbacks from Nauru Airlines to Brisbane over the last few years, but they haven't advised anything to you and you haven't made any inquiries.

Ms Spence : We will certainly take on notice to see whether there have been any reports to us about any turnbacks and track to see whether there are any reports which might seem out of kilter with what we'd normally expect to see with other operators.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: One event that's been raised with me was in November 2023. A Nauru Airlines Boeing 737 freighter experienced horizontal stabiliser control difficulties, later attributed to corrosion. Then it was grounded for 35 days. Was that event reported to CASA?

Ms Spence : We'd have to take that on notice.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: Would that be the kind of event that would be reported to CASA—an aircraft flying in Australian airspace with a corroded stabiliser?

Mr Bouttell : If it were a major defect, it would be reported to CASA, it being an Australian registered aircraft.

Ms Spence : We would normally do some form of surveillance in response to that claim.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: What would that be? That strikes me as a significant air safety issue: a plane taking off with a corroded horizontal stabiliser causing so much difficulty it had to be returned to the airport where it took off from and then be grounded for 35 days. That strikes me as a substantial matter. Would that normally meet the threshold for a report?

Mr Bouttell : Most likely for a major defect, yes.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: You can't say now whether or not that was reported to you.

Mr Bouttell : Not at this time.

Ms Spence : We have just taken that on notice.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: Can you take on notice whether it was reported to you and, if so, was any action taken. If it wasn't reported to you but your inquiries make it apparent that it did happen—

Ms Spence : It should have been.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: what, if any, action will be taken in relation to that?

Ms Spence : We'll take that on notice as well...

(Google AI responses to my QON - see HERE) (Article from 'the Point' asks some very interesting questions on Nauru Airlines existence and it's relationship to the Albo Govt - see HERE)

MTF...P2