[P7_TOM]

Considerations and Courtesy.

With a Mooney and a Chopper down in the vicinity of RAAF Williamstown; I sneaked a look at the Unspeakable Prune. The poor old ATCO’s are, once again, in the gun. Anyone who would care to take the time to actually ‘read’ the restrictions and liabilities and punitive oversight rules these folk work under would actually be more inclined to congratulate ‘em for turning up to work every shift. It is a tough job; and, in busy sector/area like Sydney or Melbourne; it is fair to say that they are every bit as frustrated and hacked off as the aircrew.

Back in 2017 the ABC tried to get the message out – without much luck. Halfwit wanted a new system; couldn’t pay for it, so the ‘Bean counters’ set to work and (pardon the hated expression) ‘down sized’ to the bone and a little beyond. Profit was needed to bring on the now outdated “One Sky”. Consultants cost lot’s and lot’s; and, if only ‘consultants’ were the problem cost then it could have been managed. Alas, there was more; much more draining the budget – but we’ll never see that exposed to the light of day. All gone and forgotten now; well, until there’s a ‘proper’ inquiry.  Anyway – FWIW, try and deal politely and professionally with the boys and girls manning the consoles; it ain’t their faulty towers shit fight. Not by a long shot.

Updated 15 Feb 2017, 10:25am

Job cuts have left the government body responsible for air-traffic control in Australia in crisis, with senior Airservices officials providing damning accounts that the organisation is now "a huge risk to public safety".

Key points:

• Airservices staff fear it could take 'blood on their hands' before changes are made
• More than 700 jobs have been cut from the organisation to date as part of cost-cutting
• Senator Nick Xenophon is demanding an immediate cease of the retrenchments

"It's only a matter of time before we have a major aviation incident," one Airservices executive has told the ABC.

We captured the Halfwit, his accountant mate and a mystery guest leaving the Never Tell Motel on camera.