Mandarins - Not of this world.
In the aviation game those at the coal face are so bound by law, company policy and other concerns that they are obliged to ‘do the job’ properly and keep their rear ends covered. It has become a professional art form. Looking good, feeding politicians platitudes and just hoping that nothing goes pear shaped for which the blame can be sheeted home to your house of cards is not an option. Can fear of breaking an esoteric, prescriptive, black letter, strict liability, criminal code ‘law’ affect the command decision making process, of course it can. Is it possible that pressure to maintain ‘company’ SOP, solely generated to ‘satisfy’ some whim of a CASA official affect the decision making process, course it can. Can company pressure to meet schedules, take minimum fuel, shave the flight time and carry on even when fatigued be a safety risk - of course it can. Much depends on personal and company perspective; but, in essence, the crew at the pointy end face far more personal legal risk from ground based traps and bastardry than they ever will face dealing with machinery and weather hazards - in the air.
Mandarins have no such concerns; they only need to look good and say pretty much whatever a minister wants to hear. Keep the snakes in the box and all is well. They need not concern themselves with ‘operational’ matters or even real life. The protective walls are built of stern stuff with added safeguards and escape paths; and, why not, there has been ample time to create this isolated Nirvana, unlimited funds to support the upkeep and a total lack of ministerial ‘interference’ in the process; even some encouragement - when the minister is included under the safety umbrella. One need look no further than CASA to see a classic example of this. For a perfect diorama of system mockery take a look back to the Senate inquiry into the ditching of a Pel-Air aircraft off Norfolk Island in 2009.
From that one incident a Senate inquiry was launched, which led to an independent review of the system and the ‘regulations’; which, by the by have been under revision for three long decades; the Forsyth report a.k.a. the ASRR was actually ordered by the then minister for transport. Between the two reports over sixty (that’s 60+) recommendations were made which ‘demanded’ that the CASA be reformed and the chronic disarray of regulatory reform be completed within our life time. No prizes for guessing what has happened (answers on the back of a postage stamp please). We hear a lot of hot air, we see a load of meaningless words, yet we are still bound to and governed by the same relentless stupidity.
CASA itself? What has changed there? The short answer is SFA. The last ministerial order through the ASRR for CASA to regain, trust, credibility and dialogue has been flagrantly ignored, bar some lip service and only the minister believes the rhetoric which moots changes in the wind. Look no further than the latest debacle in the AAAT – CASA at its very worst; happily, this time CASA were slapped down by Egon Fice. How can there possibly be meaningful change when the same old crew are content running the same tired, old dog and pony show and the minister de jour is satisfied, redolent in blind ignorance.
There is no point arguing this is untrue; none whatsoever. The introduction to the CASA Enforcement Manual, writ by Aleck, enshrined by McConvict, worshiped by the lower levels of ‘top management’ still stands; to this day, without one iota of change. Not only is this ‘the’ golden get out goal card, it has now been supported by two ‘directors’. The flash git – Skidmore tacitly approved its use – well he did; for he never moved to strike it from the manuals. Now the illustrious mega Mandarin ‘Wingnut’, supposedly in ‘caretaker’ mode is not taking any care at all, happy to let the aberration exist.
Real reform? Lets begin with removing the travesty of the enforcement manual; then, perhaps the coal face crews can relax just a little and concentrate on doing the job instead of being afraid. A good second move would be to remove the notion of instant, strict liability criminality from the books. Then maybe we can start asking just what have the highly paid, very secure ministers and mandarins achieved - done to earn their corn; for they all seem to make a great plenty by doing bugger all. I don’t know what they’ll work at to keep busy when hunting down ‘criminals’ becomes redundant. I expect they’ll all go on strike and wander in the desert for 40 days and forty nights when the straw runs out. Ya can’t make bricks without it.
No straw for the straw men; perhaps some tea for the tiller man then?
Toot toot.
In the aviation game those at the coal face are so bound by law, company policy and other concerns that they are obliged to ‘do the job’ properly and keep their rear ends covered. It has become a professional art form. Looking good, feeding politicians platitudes and just hoping that nothing goes pear shaped for which the blame can be sheeted home to your house of cards is not an option. Can fear of breaking an esoteric, prescriptive, black letter, strict liability, criminal code ‘law’ affect the command decision making process, of course it can. Is it possible that pressure to maintain ‘company’ SOP, solely generated to ‘satisfy’ some whim of a CASA official affect the decision making process, course it can. Can company pressure to meet schedules, take minimum fuel, shave the flight time and carry on even when fatigued be a safety risk - of course it can. Much depends on personal and company perspective; but, in essence, the crew at the pointy end face far more personal legal risk from ground based traps and bastardry than they ever will face dealing with machinery and weather hazards - in the air.
Mandarins have no such concerns; they only need to look good and say pretty much whatever a minister wants to hear. Keep the snakes in the box and all is well. They need not concern themselves with ‘operational’ matters or even real life. The protective walls are built of stern stuff with added safeguards and escape paths; and, why not, there has been ample time to create this isolated Nirvana, unlimited funds to support the upkeep and a total lack of ministerial ‘interference’ in the process; even some encouragement - when the minister is included under the safety umbrella. One need look no further than CASA to see a classic example of this. For a perfect diorama of system mockery take a look back to the Senate inquiry into the ditching of a Pel-Air aircraft off Norfolk Island in 2009.
From that one incident a Senate inquiry was launched, which led to an independent review of the system and the ‘regulations’; which, by the by have been under revision for three long decades; the Forsyth report a.k.a. the ASRR was actually ordered by the then minister for transport. Between the two reports over sixty (that’s 60+) recommendations were made which ‘demanded’ that the CASA be reformed and the chronic disarray of regulatory reform be completed within our life time. No prizes for guessing what has happened (answers on the back of a postage stamp please). We hear a lot of hot air, we see a load of meaningless words, yet we are still bound to and governed by the same relentless stupidity.
CASA itself? What has changed there? The short answer is SFA. The last ministerial order through the ASRR for CASA to regain, trust, credibility and dialogue has been flagrantly ignored, bar some lip service and only the minister believes the rhetoric which moots changes in the wind. Look no further than the latest debacle in the AAAT – CASA at its very worst; happily, this time CASA were slapped down by Egon Fice. How can there possibly be meaningful change when the same old crew are content running the same tired, old dog and pony show and the minister de jour is satisfied, redolent in blind ignorance.
There is no point arguing this is untrue; none whatsoever. The introduction to the CASA Enforcement Manual, writ by Aleck, enshrined by McConvict, worshiped by the lower levels of ‘top management’ still stands; to this day, without one iota of change. Not only is this ‘the’ golden get out goal card, it has now been supported by two ‘directors’. The flash git – Skidmore tacitly approved its use – well he did; for he never moved to strike it from the manuals. Now the illustrious mega Mandarin ‘Wingnut’, supposedly in ‘caretaker’ mode is not taking any care at all, happy to let the aberration exist.
Real reform? Lets begin with removing the travesty of the enforcement manual; then, perhaps the coal face crews can relax just a little and concentrate on doing the job instead of being afraid. A good second move would be to remove the notion of instant, strict liability criminality from the books. Then maybe we can start asking just what have the highly paid, very secure ministers and mandarins achieved - done to earn their corn; for they all seem to make a great plenty by doing bugger all. I don’t know what they’ll work at to keep busy when hunting down ‘criminals’ becomes redundant. I expect they’ll all go on strike and wander in the desert for 40 days and forty nights when the straw runs out. Ya can’t make bricks without it.
No straw for the straw men; perhaps some tea for the tiller man then?
Toot toot.