[Gobbledock]

I'm looking forward to reading the QON's word by word later on today, thanks for the link 'K'. But as for the puzzle, I played it and I liked it. I'm a bit of a Suduko fan, and although the Ferrymans puzzle wasn't too difficult it was fun to play, and I would recommend all tendentious bloggers and IOS have a crack at it this morning.

It must have just been good timing but I also played a CAsA cryptic crossword this morning. The highlight was when I spelt out the words 'bollocks', 'pooh', 'yak' and 'Styx'. Go figure??

"Safe robust puzzles for all"

[P7_TOM]

Well master "K" – looking through that very comprehensive 'Ministerial' quality airports AQoN, makes my modest wager "heads kicked in behind closed doors" look fairly secure.  That's the most fully answered AQon I've read in many a year.  I still believe Heff had all the answers he'd ever need, Sunny's PMC thought radio active ducks were a bit OTT and with the MoP still hovering; the usual, evasive, obfuscated answers just weren't going to do it; not this time.

Time will tell - Not many sleeps left, 4:1 was the hazard – Pints will do.

[Peetwo]

Tardy, but tidy.

Finally, the DoIT word weasels have finished their AQON and they are good, very good.  Mind you the answers should be, considering the amount of time and care lavished on them.  But will anyone read through the entire offering?   Is it going to be a battle, or "Ok, thanks boys, that's just fine and dandy" from Heff?  It's going to come down to homework I expect.  The MM crew seem to have done theirs, lots of tidy corners, a little 'poetic' licence here and just a dab of legal sleight of hand there.  You could, if you were naive enough, take it as gospel and believe that development was a fine thing, which, provided you didn't want to run an aviation business or live in a quiet, clean, residential area free of heavy traffic, it is.  

But it's curious thing, just past Warwick farm, Liverpool way toward Holsworthy there is another 'reasonable' development looming on the residential horizon.  This too will cause no great inconvenience or bugger up anything, the word weasels assure us this is true.  Just like Bankstown and Archerfield, this development is touted to be highly beneficial: to whom, remains a mystery.

We shall have to wait and see what cards Heff has to play. 

Links below, for those who like puzzles.......

1    2    3

WOW that was quick, personally I thought the Mandarins would thumb their noses at that QON till Farmer Truss bought the (figuratively speaking) political farm...err thank you (I think ) M&M & Co..  

Got to hand it to the good RRAT Committee Secretariat they don't muck around when they put their mind to it...

As a gentle reminder I sent this little tweep on Wednesday 20 May...

.&.. lo and behold two days later we get the AQON...

But to the AQON to QON 125 where I totally agree with Old Tom that is the most comprehensive answer to a QON from the Murky Machiavellian Mandarin (& his cronies) that I think I have ever seen...   Passing strange for M&M is that IMO the QON has actually been over answered:

CHAIR: Could you provide to this committee the environmental approval that allowed that build-up to be done?


Mr Wilson: Certainly, Senator. I do not have it with me, but I can take that on notice.
…
Mr Mrdak: What we might do, Senator, is, if you could set out the issues, then we will answer what we can tonight or take them on notice and give you detailed answers. So, if you could give to us your questions or assertions.

CHAIR: As you know, the destruction of this flood plain is going to have an affect on the residential people in the area in the event of a flood incident. It is going to have a serious impact on the people who have had nothing to do with this dodgy deal, but who happen to live adjacent. The flood plain has been filled and the flood has to go somewhere. The council knows about it and the guys that did it knew about it as they were doing it. To add to that the fill, which was the cheapest that they could
find, is full of contaminated material, which allegedly was supposed to be supervised under the environment approval process. I rest my case. You have a problem, boys.

Mr Mrdak: Senator, with those matters, we will take them up and come back to you with a detailed response.

     
Finally for mine one of the key points of interest from the AQON was this part:

Other issues raised in recent Ministerial correspondence

7. Proposal from aviation tenants to ‘buy out’ the Airport lease from BAL [this issue was also raised by

Senators Heffernan and Fawcett in June 2014]

• BAL holds a 50 year lease (to 2048) over the Airport site, with an option to renew for a further 49

years.

• BAL has not been found to be in breach of its lease, and there is no cause to terminate the lease.

• This proposal appears to seek to split the Airport site into smaller blocks of land. It is not the

Commonwealth’s intention to split the Airport lease, nor would the Commonwealth consider resuming

responsibility for the maintenance of aviation assets in the manner implied.

• Proponents wishing to take over the Airport lease would need to approach BAL in the first instance.

• If BAL agreed to the sale of the lease of Bankstown Airport, the Airports Act 1996 sets out restrictions

on acquisition and transfer of airport leases.

• There is a process for the airport lessee company to transfer the lease:

o It is a decision for the airport lessee company, not the Commonwealth.

o The lease would be transferred as a whole to a new airport lessee company which would step into the

role of BAL.

• The Commonwealth would need to review the proposed ownership structure and be satisfied that any

foreign ownership or cross ownership was consistent with the Airports Regulations 1997.

• An airport lease must not be transferred without the written approval of the Minister (s24(1) Airports

Act 1996).

• The Minister may refuse consent on several grounds (s2.02 Airports Regulations 1997), including:

(a) that the proposed transferee does not have the financial strength and managerial capabilities

necessary to:

(i) operate and develop the airport over the remainder of the lease period; or

(ii) provide high-quality airport services consistently with the sound development of civil

aviation;

 
Hmm...fascinating the machinations of Ministers their minions & Mandarins...

MTF..P2

 

[Peetwo]

WOW that was quick, personally I thought the Mandarins would thumb their noses at that QON till Farmer Truss bought the (figuratively speaking) political farm...err thank you (I think ) M&M & Co..  

Got to hand it to the good RRAT Committee Secretariat they don't muck around when they put their mind to it...

As a gentle reminder I sent this little tweep on Wednesday 20 May...

.&.. lo and behold two days later we get the AQON...
 
Hmm...fascinating the machinations of Ministers their minions & Mandarins...
 

Addendum: [b]The Pool guy is back..  [/b]

For some reason the following informative article from the excellent publication 'The Mandarin'  gave me a subconscious déjà vu moment, that I can't quite nail down, nevertheless it made me smile..

TRIM troubles catch parliament’s eye

---

by
Harley Dennett
18.05.2015



It’s the public administration equivalent of “the dog ate my homework”, but many senior public servants have found themselves caught short by document management. Last week, the Department of Parliamentary Services was explaining why TRIM had let them down.

The mystery of missing documents — another embarrassment in the “Zahalka issue” procurement saga at the Department of Parliamentary Services — has been narrowed down to TRIM record mislabelling.

Two draft documents and one letter were not included when DPS scooped up all the documents it could find relating to the procurement of commemorative pieces from Sydney photographer Anne Zahalka for Parliament’s 25th anniversary. The omission might have gone unnoticed except they were included when the Australian National Audit Office did its timeline.

The senate finance and public administration committee has been investigating the procurement for many months now, but without all the documents.

Myra Croke, DPS’s chief operating officer, was the first to notice the discrepancy, and given the pressure the department is under — its secretary, Carol Mills, was sacked last month — sought to make amends with the senate committee.

Croke last week told the committee the department had provided all the final versions of documents that reached the secretary for approval, but there were drafts that “probably” never got beyond the person who drafted them or beyond their supervisor:

“The difficulty we have with our system of filing on TRIM is that it stores every draft document from the very first rough draft that somebody at quite junior level might create on the system, right through to the final version that gets through and might go all the way up to the secretary, or even to the [parliament's] Presiding Officers.
“Unless people carefully label those documents on the way through, it is not always clear how far the document got — as to whether it was in fact a very rough draft or it was in fact the final. It is something we need to get a lot better at because, as you know, we have had a number of recommendations in relation to our record keeping, so it is an area we really need to focus on improving.”

Under questioning from committee chair Cory Bernardi, Croke acknowledged that it was unlikely the documents would just disappear from TRIM, and were probably just not immediately noticeable because they were not marked as having “gone anywhere near the secretary”.

While TRIM is known globally as HP TRIM Records Management System, it began in Australia. The document management software originally published by Tower Software has dominated Australia’s public service agencies for decades now. Originally created by former Canberra bureaucrat Brand Hoff in the mid-1980s, the company was bought out by Hewlett-Packard seven years ago. Its customers included not just every public sector jurisdiction in Australia, but the FBI, US Navy and several British departments.

Australian National Archives boss David Fricker says TRIM has, for many public servants, been around all their professional lives:

“It was a system which brought order and consistency to information management storage. As well it offered a significant level of data security and protection.
“No longer could information be inadvertently deleted; it allowed a record to be kept of who had accessed certain information and when.
“And, most importantly for someone like me, it ensured the authenticity and validity of material it preserved.”

Unless it’s mislabelled and can’t be found easily, as DPS has learned.
In addition to improving their record keeping practice, DPS also flagged training and integrity checks in their procurements.

Croke told the finance and public administration committee that they’ve reissued their internal procurement manuals based on the ANAO better practice guide, and arranged for two-day training from the Australian Public Service Commission:

“We have also started setting up a regular discussion with all of our contract managers and people who are doing procurement regularly. We are calling it a practitioners forum. We are meeting roughly quarterly. We held the first meeting just a few weeks ago. The idea of that is to keep building on all the training that we have so that we continue the learning.
“We have a discussion with all the contract managers across the department about what we are finding is occurring in terms of practice, the sorts of learnings that we gain through both our procurement team and our legal team and the work they are doing with all the areas across the department. We are trying to increase the knowledge and the learning base on an ongoing and continuing basis.”

While DPS cannot guarantee that the circumstances of the Zahalka procurement won’t occur again, they will continually reassess controls, training and audits. Croke said ANAO had been invited back for a follow-up audit in 2015-16.

“We have also built up the procurement team within the CFO branch, so we have a good team of people there who are very familiar with procurement. The procurement team and the legal team are working very closely together on issues as they occur, and that is what we are feeding back in to the contract practitioners group to try and train staff around the sorts of issues that are coming up across the department and to keep staff informed.

“You cannot just conduct training for contract management and wheel people through their two-day training in February and think they are fine and that they do not need any more. They actually need some reinforcement of what they are doing and some further guidance as things change. As an organisation, as we learn about how we can do things more effectively we will cover that.
“In terms of record keeping, if you are conducting a procurement, the procurement manual clearly sets out the nature of the records we should be keeping. We have already rolled out some changes to the SAP system. We now have finance running on SAP, and all of the procurement and payment arrangements will be fully up by the end of June. We are consciously trying to reinforce that records are kept either in SAP, which is our payment and HR system, or within the TRIM system, so we should have a thorough record-keeping system as we go forward.”

Top photo by Anne Zahalka, part of the Parliament House at Work exhibition scrutinised by the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee.

 
MTF...P2

[Kharon]

Trim that barge, lift that bail, get a little. etc.  

The clever little article from the Mandarin may explain some of the problems those slated for a little Wodgering and embuggerance have getting supporting 'evidence' from CASA.  It's absolutely amazing how many files which a 'defence' may rely upon get lost in cyber space, in proportion to those carefully treasured and preserved damning ones, handy to the 'prosecution'.  Bad TRIM, naughty TRIM, wicked TRIM; embarrassing those poor, hard working servants of the people.  

It's no wonder they are concerned about air safety and have informed their masters that they cannot, possibly, be any longer responsible for air safety (whatever TF that is) unless they get paid more.  Must be tough life.

Toot - toot.

[Kharon]

Round and round and round she goes.

....P7 – "Well master "K" – looking through that very comprehensive 'Ministerial' quality airports AQoN, makes my modest wager "heads kicked in behind closed doors" look fairly secure."

Too true; buggered up my calculations 'good and proper', that has.   However, that said, it still leaves some very interesting betting 'opportunities'; for instance turning words into deeds.  Lets assume (ass u me) for the sake of argument that Heff has banged some heads and the airport crew have decided to play the Heff Wrong'un with a straight bat.  It's still a long march around the perimeter road; fill to remove, fences to tear down, repairs and improvements to be made and the sharks must be fed.  All compromises to be made without adult supervision.  Even IF the sharks can be satisfied and airports are returned to par; is there enough interest in the 'industry', or enough commercial appeal left to attract the huge investment sums required to rebuild the industry?   No doubt Heff has straightened the road, but where will it lead us? – not far in the 90 short minutes allotted in estimates Thursday morning.  

ATSB are on Wednesday evening at 1745 (ish) will the invisible man attend?  This is another vexed question for the BRB (Sunday) BBQ.  It seems Dolan still has the whip hand, even if slightly less visible; but the Pel-Air reinvestigation aside, I wonder if accident 'reports' will get the attention they deserve?  That disgraceful 'thing' produced on the fatal Cessna accident for example; it completely avoids getting anywhere near tackling fully approved, home grown training techniques which are not only illegal, completely at odds with the AFM but provide a student mindset that it is OK to disregard certified technique and procedures.  A whole 60 minutes allocated to ATSB, it would take a full day to discuss the abysmal reports produced.  Perhaps if Fawcett or even Skidmore as pilots, read the proffered report they may see exactly where the problem lays.  Little excuse for Fawcett – he has had a close encounter with the Norfolk report.  It begs the question; will ATSB be allowed to continue producing this rubbish or will the invisible man step up to the crease, open his shoulders and have a swing, you'd think a Qantas pilot could at least see the value in following manufacturer certified procedures and asking CASA what the hell they were playing at – approving 'alternative' measures; which have killed an innocent student.  Much to discuss on Sunday.

The CASA show starts at 1945 (ish) Wednesday evening.   A whole 90 minutes allotted to listen to more reassuring promises of 'active' reform while flat out action to implement existing plans for Part 61 and CVD (to mention but two of the many) are full steam ahead.  The McComic legacy embraced.  At least ol' John boy let the world know he revelled in being a ty-rant, which was honest.  But unless the Board weighs in hard and soon, the present school will continue to blindly promote and foster their own futures, without caring a fig for the consequences; with or without Terry running the GWM.   Smoke and mirrors will, no doubt feature large at the BRB Sunday pre estimates BBQ. 

ASA on centre stage for 90 minutes at 2130.  If you were a Senator, where would you start?  I mean FFS.  We could start with a prayer of thanks to the ATCO who despite all odds, turn up every day and manage to keep aircraft separated.  But what goes on above that level and beneath the Houston radar has to be one of the greatest travesties in Australian history.  Perhaps the scant 90 minutes could be used to mount an appeal to Houston.  "Oi, Angus, sort this bloody management shambles out – Please, for pities sake".   Maybe the BRB can draft it, save a shed load of time.  

Aye well, no doubt it'll be better entertainment than MKR or whatever other rubbish is on 'Telly', but advert free?  Not a chance: the department boys will be out there, selling their souls, peddling shop soiled goods as only true snake oil salesmen can.   The man at the back of the room won't even get a cup of parliamentary tea; let alone a fair shake.  It's government agencies which have crippled this industry, perhaps it's time we demanded some compensation to help rebuild.   Fat chance – right.

No matter, I'll mark up the tote board anyway – at least that is nearly honest.

Selah.

[Gobbledock]

Agh yes, good old TRIM. A lame, expensive out of tune computer system that is about as shitty as the billion dollar lemon and antiquated system that the Department of Unsocial Security use. No real surprise there, dopey politicians not spending money on infrastructure and instead relying on 1980's style technology. Fools.

But as much as TRIM is a shite system, it has been a handy one for bureaucrats, and it doesn't surprise me that a bureaucrat designed it. You see it is a massive data collection program, and it is very easy for a savvy, cunning and/or dishonest Government employee to hide stuff within it. It's a labyrinth of nooks and cranny's. It's easy to tag a file with an irrelevant or clandestine name and file it in the system in a way that only the person filing it will know how to retrieve it or will know what key or specific words to use to find it. You see if for example you are a Wodger and you have a lot of documentation on say Pelair, you could file those documents under the file name 'Wodgers Mum', or 'Baggage Handlers Rule'. Unless you know what the key words are and type them in you won't find the files. Now common sense would say file it under the name 'Pelair' or something like that. That way anybody could find and access the file. However common sense and transparency aren't CAsA's strong points are they?

The upshot is that it is a classic public servant designed system that can be manipulated at will. Naturally there are the old chestnuts such as 'we aren't sure what the document has been filed under', and 'the system is corrupted or faulty and some of the documents and/or pages have disappeared or been deleted', and 'that public servant doesn't work here anymore and we don't know what happened to the file'! Yes, a system designed to be clunky and unworkable if you want it to be, perfect for a calculating smoke and mirror operation like a Government agency! But a word of warning to the uninitiated - TRIM can also be used to store lots of dirt files on you which can be conveniently 'found' and used against you at the departments timing of choice.

Now, speaking of TRIM. I would imagine that it is that time again when Beaker TRIM's his facial fuzz in preparation for this Wednesday nights fun and frivolity?


'TRIMmed skies for all'

[Gobbledock]

In regards to Question 125 and in relation to Bankstown airports master plan, can anyone confirm if the rumor is true that a bac Devco director (surname Gray) is related to a CAsA Board member/Brisbane Airport Corporation director (surname also Gray)?
Jut curious.

[thorn bird]

Dunno about Mr Gray Gobbles, but I believe the Chairman of the FAC  BAL's predecessor was also the chairman of Goodmans, who own Moorabin and who developed the TOLL freight shed at Bankstown.

Meanwhile at Bankstown and the issue of contaminents, this article  HERE -from the AAP.

"Toxic firefighter training site Fiskville continues to come under scrutiny as more evidence is heard at a Victorian parliamentary inquiry.

The Country Fire Authority facility was closed in March after a cancer cluster was discovered among firefighters who lived and trained there.

Testing revealed parts of the Fiskville site were contaminated with PFOS, a toxic chemical used in firefighting foam.

A parliamentary inquiry into the centre, which will hear more evidence on Monday, has been told neighbouring residents and livestock tested positive to high levels of PFOS after cancer cluster allegations arose in 2011".

[Kharon]

Ladies Day betting guide.

Right then; the overnight e-mail is in, counted which finalises some numbers so I can set the tote odds for the up coming Estimates.  Lots of variation is a feature and it's a headache; however:-

Race 1 - The Arse Kicking cup: hard to pick a favourite here, it all depends on a couple of 'unknowns', which are problematic.  One of which is the lack of certainty after the Airports crew AQoN was released, makes it uncertain that there will be a clear winner.  The AQoN indicates (as forecast) that most of the airports business would be settled internally, Heff does (or did) have a full head of steam, so calling his response is tough.  Airport Daze a solid each way bet.    

The ASA entry was always going to be a firm favourite, and handicapper Wong has put the entry's weights up.  Considering past form, Stabbed in the Dark firms to odds on in the betting. 

CASA do have an entry in this event, word from the stable is that despite being polished, primped and groomed to a fare thee well, the entry is the same, sick, old, tired hack.  The new jockey has little to persuade the punter and persistent rumours that the horse will be ridden 'to instructions' is affecting the betting.  This and a lack of regular training may persuade the officials not to look too closely.  They should, the claimed 61 Kg allowance will not withstand scrutiny.  Broken Promises @ 7/2 odds on will break the punters hearts.

ATSB have been working with their entry and are a firm favourite, SP at odds on 5/2.  It would be difficult to go past this entry; Invisible Man, as a deserving winner of the Arse Kicking Cup.  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Race 2: The Cover Up Handicap.  Difficult race to lay; the fences being set by the judging panel.  Difficult, closely spaced hurdles will test all entries; but, the traditional 'money trail' course is tipped to feature.  Each stable has fielded multiple entries making it a Bookies nightmare as you will be able to throw a blanket over the field at the finish line.  

From the ASA sheltered workshop – Holiday Rorts, Three card Monte; Fawlty Towers and Fire Truck, all at short odds and changing by the minute - check the tote, carefully beforehand.

From the CASA stud farm: Bored to Tears, MoP Head, Sentinel Sally, Lobotomy Larry and Legacy Lad; they have placed Busted Dreams as first reserve for any late scratching.  Any one of these carefully cosseted beasts could snatch the prize.  Back the field for value

ATSB holiday farm, 'Has Beens' stable recently had an injection of funds and purchased the much fancied Invisible Man to replace Aberration.   The much loved Aberration has now been put to stud duties, in hopes that he will produce many more nags of similar calibre; so far so good, we hear.   Other entries - Beyond Reason, Duplicitous Dan, Hang Sang, Foregone Conclusion and Whichway-diditgo.  All stars in their own right.  You may get a Trifecta from the holiday farm stable, but there will be short odds, last minute fluctuations before the off.

It can and probably will all change when the field comes under starters orders.  There is school of thought which says there will be no event at all.  Many of the matters which need discussion and debate are, politically at least, very, very sensitive and perhaps the Senate panel will need to play a soft game.  

Anyway – there's your program, that's the field and no doubt the good folk in the engine room and running the cameras will do their usual first class job.  There is no entry fee to the event, bring your own beer, popcorn and nuts (Porridge for Thursday breakfast).  It may not be the greatest show on earth, but anyone who wants to see real reform and the industry back on it's feet, really should try to pay attention as those who can make changes battle with those diametrically opposed to any such silly notion.

Toot toot.

[Peetwo]

Gold "K" absolute gold...  

On the odds for the ATSB session I noticed that the bureau have released yet another update to the PelAir cover-up re-investigation. I wonder whether this update has an ulterior motive in preparation for this weeks Senate Estimates inquisition, as Beaker did agree to regularly update the Senate on the progress of the re-investigation at last Estimates...

Anyway here is the update:

Updated: 25 May 2015


The previous update on 24 April 2015 outlined the results of a recent underwater survey of the aircraft’s wreckage. Based on this survey, the ATSB is currently assessing options for the task of recovering the recorders.

Other investigation activities to date have included:

• Reviewing documentation from the original ATSB investigation and the Senate Inquiry conducted by the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee in 2012-2013.
  
• Reviewing documentation from investigations into the accident conducted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the operator.
  
• Reviewing documentation from the operator, including flight records for several Westwind aircraft, check and training records for several flight crew, duty times and rosters, occurrence and hazard reports, audit reports, and safety committee meeting records.  
  
• Interviewing 14 personnel from the operator, including management, check and training pilots and line pilots.
  
• Comparing the operator’s policies and procedures and other requirements with its operational practices, particularly in areas such as flight planning, fuel management, fatigue management, and emergency procedures.
  
• Comparing the results from three bio-mathematical models of fatigue when applied to a series of the operator’s duty periods, and examining the suitability of the FAID model and related guidance material when applied to the operator’s air ambulance operations.
  
• Reviewing documentation from the air traffic services’ providers in Fiji and New Zealand about their policies and procedures for the provision of flight information, and how these were applied during the accident flight.
  
• Reviewing CASA’s surveillance files and related documentation for the operator.
  
• Reviewing documentation and interviewing personnel from the air ambulance contracting company.
  
  

During the Senate Inquiry associated with the original ATSB investigation, significant concerns were raised by some of the aircraft’s occupants about the serviceability and design of the life jackets used by three of the occupants. The re-opened investigation established that the life jackets had been retained by the Norfolk Island Police Force since the accident. The ATSB has now taken possession of the life jackets, and they will be examined after consultation with relevant parties. The life jackets were required to be serviced every 5 years, and all three jackets had been serviced within the 5-year period prior to the accident.

As well as continuing with the above activities, the next phase of the investigation will involve:

• Interviewing several personnel from CASA.
  
• Comparing the operator’s policies, procedures and practices with other air ambulance operators.
  
• Examining the reliability of weather forecasting at Norfolk Island.
  

   
MTF...P2

[Gobbledock]

Beaker forgot to add other activities undertaken that are relevant;

- Poncing around any interested media organisation and acting like a big media tart
- Balancing pots of money and giant spreadsheets and then apportioning funds to the most important areas first, as directed by the Commissioner
- Balancing credit card statements and ensuring all monies spent can be accounted for in full
- Shaving, growing, pruning, trimming, manscaping, stroking and styling the beard.

[Peetwo]

Public Service Dipshit Stakes


( luv it.. ..Heff ) From off the Airports thread...

The letter.

I am reliably informed that on the Ray Hadley morning show - (Radio 2GB) – there was a discussion involving a letter; purporting to be scribed by although unsigned from a very senior public servant to the inestimable Bill Heffernan.  Apparently, the constant asking of questions about aerodromes by Senators and parliamentarians is getting on the wires of some, irritating and upsetting 'em.   Unsubstantiated rumour has it that Heff nailed the letter to his front door to mark the place where the hide of whoever penned the missive is destined to be hung, once found.

I will try and find the part of the RH show which carried to the article, got to be good for a laugh at the very least.  

Courtesy of the Mandarin 25 May 2015:

Public servant rips into Heffernan over Senate Estimates chairmanship

---

by
The Mandarin
25.05.2015



An anonymous public servant lambasted Senator Bill Heffernan’s chairing ability in a letter the committee chair read out at Senate Estimates this morning.

Senator Bill Heffernan is a “shithouse chair” says a senior public servant, who wrote to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee chair in an anonymous letter.

Heffernan read the letter into Hansard at Senate Estimates on Monday morning before proceeding to discuss the issue of alterations made to Hansard last year by the office of Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce, a debacle that ultimately led to the resignation of Department of Agriculture secretary Paul Grimes. The letter read:

“Dear Senator Heffernan, I was one of the many senior public servants waiting around in the witness room to appear before you in committee on Tuesday night’ — this is in February,” the letter read.
“We waited and waited. Three hours went by as we all sat round twiddling our thumbs, watching you and your dipshit colleagues trying to score political points off each other.
“You are a shithouse chair, and clearly have no ability to stick to an agenda.
“No wonder everyone wants to boot you out, and God help the animals on your farm if you run the farm like you run the Senate committee.”

Heffernan said he wished the author of the letter had provided their name so he could contact them to discuss the issue.

“Historically, anyone who tells me to go and get knotted, which is what this is doing, I usually ring them — I’ve never sent an email in my life — and say, ‘I’m so happy you’ve had the opportunity to go and tell me to get knotted. Now what can I do to help'” he said at Estimates.

“We recognise that the system now, which has changed in recent months, isn’t working in the way in which it was intended, so we are working towards trying to fix that, and we regret that there were a lot of people who’d come from a long way who didn’t get to be witnesses because there was no control on the time.

“I’m asking people on this committee to bear that in mind.”

And this was the Ferryman's - somewhat inevitable - response:
 

Bill and the pipe bomb.  Love the picture, Heff looking at the assembled minions, sizing up a suitable orifice to park a pipe bomb; bloody good idea Bill.  

Aunty Pru has made mention before that 'savvy' Senators, fully briefed with penetrating question and rock solid answers are demanding 'real answers' in real time.  

“We recognise that the system now, which has changed in recent months, isn’t working in the way in which it was intended, so we are working towards trying to fix that, and we regret that there were a lot of people who’d come from a long way who didn’t get to be witnesses because there was no control on the time.

“I’m asking people on this committee to bear that in mind.”

Then there is the breathtaking arrogance of a PS (dip-stick) who believes that 'his' time is worth more than the other 100 odd folk collective 'person hours' required to be at estimates.

Is Conroy the root of all evil? – "Well we can sit here all night, if you like" (paraphrased).

Go get 'em Bill, we can make plenty more of those uniquely shaped, close fitting bung blasters.

So ..  ...  .....

For those who prefer pictures...

 

Now before we narrow down the field - for the Public Service Dipshit Stakes - I just thought I'd have a quick review of that particular Estimates day in question, because I do remember some shuffling of the timetable but I can't remember there being any major (3hr) delay to the day's proceedings...

Ok here was the original timetable:



Okay so what is it that actually happened on the day in question, well the best record is Hansard. Here is a link for the HTML version of the Hansard - Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee - 24/02/2015 - Estimates - INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO

You will see that down the LH side there is an index that records the order that various department sections, agencies & individual witnesses/Senators appeared on that day. The  most obvious differences to the agenda timetable is the earlier appearance of CASA and then AirServices. The ASA session also took an hour longer due to intense questioning from firstly Senator Wong & then NX.

Next - with the possible exception of the National Capital Authority - from my rudimentary calculations the knock on effect of these changes only added a maximum of 1.5 hrs to any individual agency or department section. And the agency that copped the greatest - waiting - penalty was the ATSB.

So does that help with the tote board "K"??

MTF...P2   

Ps Have to object "K" to the Senator Conroy inference, he hardly featured at last Estimates. Although a couple of Estimates before he did make full use of amended Senate Estimates standing orders, where if a Senator is not happy with the answer they can ask for the PS to provide a more comprehensive answer prior to the close of that day's Estimates hearing. 

 

[Gobbledock]

Interesting. The language used is probably the biggest clue. I would surmise that a public servant who is already on 'death row' wouldn't be game enough to write such poison penmanship. That could rule out Beaker, plus he hasn't for the spine to do that either. And although Hoody can be a tough nut I do t think a crappy anonymous email is his style. However, a Mandarin who is comfortable and safe in his role, perhaps a newly reappointed role, might be game enough to play a little politics with Heff. Conway is ballsy enough to take a swing (albeit anonymously) and so is that loose cannon Joyce. Anyway, it's a fun little puzzle and won't be too hard to narrow down the perpetrator, and I am confident that PAIN will have more to follow, plus the IOS and Gobbles are on to it!!!

[Kharon]

P2 – "Have to object "K" to the Senator Conroy inference, he hardly featured at last Estimates."

Furry muff....Objection sustained.......  ...  

Now then, who-dunnit?  Who was low enough and arrogant enough to 'hurt' Bill Heffernan.  I was offended when I saw the all too apparent upset that despicable, cowardly letter caused an essentially honest man, who has done much for aviation and others.  For it was the act of a true coward.  Any decent public servant should have no hesitation informing Heff who wrote it, for not to do so demeans the rest.

We, the IOS barrack from the sidelines for the Senate committee, cheer their victories and Boo the referee when the opposition even looks like scoring a try.  Loud howls of protest are a feature when one of the 'crats is dismissive, or spins a line, or flagrantly and arrogantly show disrespect for one of 'our' team.  There is a lot to howl at; watch some of the video from the estimates – unbelievable attitude; ASA are top of my list, closely followed by ATSB for sheer open contempt; CASA a very close third place, but they are sneaky, not so obvious, infinitely more subtle; but just as vile.  All there; caught on camera, for those who care to see.

Now then, a BRB tote for 'who-dunnit' is, I regret, not possible.  It would not be fair to the punters as the 'fix' is in.  Actually, it's a no brainer and may, with a little careful reading be reduced to a three horse race, if the information provided is accurate.   

"You will not apply my precept," he said, shaking his head. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth? We know that he did not come through the door, the window, or the chimney. We also know that he could not have been concealed in the room, as there is no concealment possible. When, then, did he come?"  (A.C Doyle).

Toot toot.....Knit 2, Purl 1, reduce by one at row end.  

[Peetwo]

Senate Estimates viewing today...

27/05/2015

9:00AM - 11:00PM AEST

Senate, Rural & Regional Affairs & Transport Legislation Committee (Senate Estimates)

HI  LO

Or via ParlView

MTF...P2

Ps Infrastructure and Regional Development portfolio program: (PDF 81KB)

Update - Estimates is running 45 minutes behind. ATSB may not be till after dinner break, which is between 18:45-19:45 AEST.

[P7_TOM]

Just through to BRB HQ:-The Ballard of Regret-it.  Made me smile, dedicated to Heff. (although I do have my suspicions just who wrote it); verbatim, I will quote it:-

From Townsville bowser, the word had got around; that the old regretted Colt had got away and joined the Canadian brumbies, for a chance to win the crown.  

It all was going quite nicely, till the wranglers sent the word, that the colt was but a gelding and was worth just half a crown.  The judges had a meeting, they came from far and wide: for to buy or sack the nag, was for to them to decide.  Well, they sent it home hard ridden, flecked with foam and blood; for after only three short furlongs, the nag was just no ducking good.

Now trainer was a bitter man, with little grit or honour, he knew full well the jig was up, his credit was a gonner; in sea of booze and fit of pique, he penned a poison letter.   The missive went both near and far, the corrosive wake subliminal, until fetched up on a Senate door, where the obvious turned into criminal.  

For men like this, the early gods invented the muse called Karma; against this witch, a nasty bitch, no man could rely on amour; a mighty sword (of which she bored) could never entertain her.  'Twas just honour bright that she loved; and that so much more than money, tho that would never sway her, 'twas the ravin' of the craven, in the end which did undo her.  So she tanned his hide when he died, Clyde: and that's it, hangin' on the shed.  Anon...Toot toot...Yuk, yuk. Yak... (Raspberry)...

 
Anon......Yeah, right.....

[Peetwo]

Just through to BRB HQ:-The Ballard of Regret-it.  Made me smile, dedicated to Heff. (although I do have my suspicions just who wrote it); verbatim, I will quote it:-

From Townsville bowser, the word had got around; that the old regretted Colt had got away and joined the Canadian brumbies, for a chance to win the crown.  

It all was going quite nicely, till the wranglers sent the word, that the colt was but a gelding and was worth just half a crown.  The judges had a meeting, they came from far and wide: for to buy or sack the nag, was for to them to decide.  Well, they sent it home hard ridden, flecked with foam and blood; for after only three short furlongs, the nag was just no ducking good.

Now trainer was a bitter man, with little grit or honour, he knew full well the jig was up, his credit was a gonner; in sea of booze and fit of pique, he penned a poison letter.   The missive went both near and far, the corrosive wake subliminal, until fetched up on a Senate door, where the obvious turned into criminal.  

For men like this, the early gods invented the muse called Karma; against this witch, a nasty bitch, no man could rely on amour; a mighty sword (of which she bored) could never entertain her.  'Twas honour that she loved and that much more than money, tho that would never sway her, 'twas the ravin' of the craven, in the end which did undo her.  So she tanned his hide when he died Clyde and that's it hangin' on the shed.  Anon...

 
Anon......Yeah, right.....

Off the Aussie MH370 thread a further update to Estimates and?? - the Penny drops...   

Gobbledock Wrote: "...[/url]Naughty Heff, off schedule again! He will receive another 'dipshit letter' if he isn't careful!!..."

Yep confirmed gone to dinner back at 19:30 with Beaker & Co, so they have made up 15min. Gobbles will that appease the 'dipshit' senior public servant?? Hmm...I smell a rat with this 'anonymous' PS, like you said GD it has to be someone who is not currently in the gun sights of the Senate Committee or who is untouchable. If you think it about that could include certain former Senior Public Servants, who are known to have the odd hissy fit...

No wonder "K" didn't want to get a tote board going...

Should have twigged when the Heff - on opening the Estimates - mentioned this morning that the anonymous 'dipshit' letter had been adhered to the front of his office door ever since last Estimates back in February..

Update: Looks like there is yet another delay at Estimates, we've currently got some knob from IA shooting the breeze on more taxpayer green...

Oh well why we're waiting have tracked this down from the mothballed [url=http://auntypru.com/forum/-McComic-in-Montreal?pid=74#pid74]McComic in Montreal thread...

Oh well at least it looks like the rest of the world is fast catching on to this wannabe aviation safety demigod...

From MMSM Steve Creedy (aka the regurgitator) today:

John McCormick’s chances dim as Fang Lui leads race to lead ICAO  

Steve Creedy
Aviation Editor
Sydney

AUSTRALIA’s push to nominate former air safety tsar John McCormick for the position of secretary-general of the International Civil Aviation Organisation looks to have foundered amid suggestions a senior ­Chinese official is set to take the role.  

Some Australian industry figures were surprised by the decision to nominate Mr McCormick given the controversy about the way CASA operated and its handling of the 2009 Pel-Air crash off Norfolk Island. The regulator came under attack in last year’s Aviation Safety Regulatory Review report, which called for sweeping reforms after criticising CASA for taking too hard a line and maintaining an adversarial approach to the industry, which had lost trust in the authority.

A spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said Mr McCormick was the most qualified and experienced person for the ICAO position due to be open when incumbent Raymond Benjamin leaves mid-year. “Having an Australian serve as ICAO secretary-general would present a unique opportunity to further enhance Australia’s international reputation in maintaining the safety and security of aviation and for Australia to continue to influence international aviation policy development,’’ the spokesman said.

However, a report in The Wall Street Journal this week named veteran Chinese air safety official Fang Lui as the frontrunner for the job. Ms Lui, currently the ­director of the agency’s Bureau of Administration and Services, would be the first Chinese national and the first woman to lead ICAO and its 191 member states.

The Journal said she had benefited from the Chinese government lobbying on her behalf.

She had also met with and garnered the support of key African and Latin American delegations.
“Barring a last-minute shift in sentiment, the agency’s policymaking body is expected to vote her in next month,’’ it said.

....& from that the timing definitely works for last Estimates..  ..cause as you can see McComic lost the bid at about post #9...

MTF...P2


 

[Peetwo]

Further Update: Due to delays with Infrastructure Australia  Estimates questioning the ATSB & ASA have been sent home to (presumably) appear AM tomorrow. CASA will be appearing after IA. 

[Gobbledock]

Excellent work, love it. I just hope that Heff clears his email inbox in preparation for the incoming 'dipshit complaints' in the morning?
Then again, I can picture the good Senator tonight after Estimates, sitting back, pouring a glass of red and in his gravel like voice sniggering out loud 'ha ha ha, they can come back tomorrow, that will f#ck em'!