[Peetwo]

Perfidious ? You betcha.

That master P2 is a bloody good bit of research; Tim Tam quality.  It would be very nice to pick up the missing 103 pages of the audit, perhaps the Senate SC could request and require the document.  It makes a mockery of the ASA self aggrandising at the last Safe Skies Stropathon.  With a skeleton that hideous left in the cupboard and no intention of doing the first thing about it, or the stench – you wonder at the hide of these people.  Make no mistake, Half-wit (title contender) had a fair bit to do with the negative  ‘findings’ in the CASA audit.  Be great if the RAeS had released the audit to the Safe -Skies audience, what a hoot.

One of many ‘things’ which caught my attention was the repetitive use of the word ‘should’ in the McConvict missive. What, there’s 35 items listed there that ASA ‘should’ do; not must or will – but should.   Fascinating word – SHOULD – lots of time and effort go into and 113 page audit reports and they don’t come cheap.   Is it just me but the McComic sound, fury and table thumping seems to have been window dressing – “You really should get off your arse dear” – is not quite the same as “get up – now”.  A politely framed suggestion as opposed to a direct order.  The PIC should ensure sufficient fuel etc. as opposed to the pilot shall ensure :etc.   Aye, no doubt ‘Margaret and John-boy had a cosy afternoon tea and a laugh discussing what they should or should not do and how to convince the paymasters that they were doing much, while doing nothing.  

So, when you next hear Houstoblame spouting (with testiculations) that CASA is his lord and master and he must obey – remember he only should, not must.   Even so, the ‘it’s not our fault’ (Nuremberg) defense starts to look a bit silly.  

“Oh CASA said we should, but Half-Wit and I decided to ignore their suggestions, told ‘em to bugger off actually”.

Nice work – if you can get it.  What say you ABC? Want to share that audit or wait to see it in the PAIN submission to the ANAO?

Toot toot.

Bus Route 666 - Express to Purgatory or Styx River crossing?

Well said Ferryman..

 P9 - "..So, when you next hear Houstoblame spouting (with testiculations) that CASA is his lord and master and he must obey – remember he only should, not must.   Even so, the ‘it’s not our fault’ (Nuremberg) defense starts to look a bit silly.."

'Should' seems to be a common bureaucratic, claptrap, spin & bulldust legislative obfuscation, commonly deployed by Machiavellian Mandarins, when they have absolutely no intention of either enforcing or complying with the original intent of the legislation...

Here is a classic example of how it works from the archives..

On the ABC, I think they intend to also 'do nothing' as the trail of crumbs have disappeared; also since then there has been a change of government & yet another change of PM..

Besides if you look at the stories this generated at the time, you get the impression that this was merely a 'thought bubble' from some harf-assed ABC producer to fill in a vacuous moment on the 24/7 media stream..

Surprisingly from off the Yaffa:

Airservices Australia's Brisbane tower. (Airservices)


CASA Report Raises Concerns about Airservices
17 Jul 2013
By Denise McNabb

After coming in for sharp criticism at a recent Senate inquiry over its own safety deficiencies in the wake of the Pel Air crash in 2009, CASA has turned the blowtorch on Airservices Australia’s airways and aerodrome branch, highlighting “critical” shortcomings in the country’s air traffic control services that threaten safe flying.

The Regulatory Review of CASR Part 172 Air Traffic Service Approval of Airservices Australia points to seriously deficient operational, safety and management services in the monopoly air navigation service provider.

Of prime concern is a spike in late 2011 and 2012 in the number of incidents where the recognised separation between aircraft had broken down or loss of separation assurance (LOSA) had been incorrectly applied by air traffic controllers.

This, said CASA, had resulted in increased public concern and media exposure, particularly because these incidents were in high-level Class A airspace where “the consequences of these can be high.”

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau details 10 such incidents in 2012, four involving air traffic services (ATS).

Of further concern to CASA was the fact that Airservices had not been able to determine the root causes of the increase in these incidents.

The 113-page review, dated 21 January 2013 has only just come to light after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation sought its contents under Freedom of Information laws.

The review highlights so many flaws and shortcomings that CASA’s Director of Aviation Safety, John McCormick, told Airservices Australia’s chief executive, Margaret Staib, that CASA had considered the option of withdrawing Airservices’ approval to operate air traffic control services, but had instead decided to put a finite date on renewal of the licence of three years. During this time it will require frequent audits and oversight to fix the shortcomings.

The review highlights a 35.8 per cent increase in Airservices staff (2,861 to 3,886 between 2001 and 2012), yet in that same period the number of air traffic controllers had declined from 951 to 922 even though three new air traffic towers had been added to the network since 2001. There had also been a marked increase in air traffic in the period, especially in Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia because of the mining boom.

Between May 2003 and June 2012 Airservices was issued with 233 non-compliance notices (NCNs).

“The recurring nature of the NCNs suggests Airservices’ senior management is either unaware of issues or has not taken sufficient action to address the root causes,” said CASA.

It has made 35 recommendations, the majority addressing deficiencies in Airservices’ management responsibilities, particularly its safety management system and the effectiveness of supervision at some air traffic control locations.

Recommendations focuses on staffing levels, training, the application of the safety management system, breakdown of separation incidents, traffic information broadcasts by aircraft incidents and the ability to provide air traffic services.

Specific issues that needed addressing include:

• The lack of direct supervision at some ATS locations.
  
• Inadequate resourcing or management of air traffic control staff.
  
• Internal audits failing to deliver the results required by either the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) or CASA in terms of internal surveillance.
  
• Inadequate document control processes.
  
• Greater compliance with the operations manual.
  
• Training and checking processes.
  
• Fast-tracking improvements to the ATS re-sectorisation of airspace in the Brisbane Basin, Western Australia and South Australia, including a review of air routes, holding patterns, workstations and staffing.
  
• More suitably trained ATS incident investigators
  
• Review of the ATS risk management processes so that operational staff have better visibility of hazards and present risk levels
  

 
Hmm...wonder if Denise got anymore published stories after that..

Next from the ABC:

Report finds serious safety, management problems with Australia's air traffic control system

By Will Ockenden

Updated 15 Jul 2013, 12:37pm
Mon 15 Jul 2013, 12:37pm

 

An internal report into Australia's air traffic control system has found serious deficiencies with the operation, safety and management of the country's skies.

Documents released under Freedom of Information laws show Australia's monopoly air traffic control provider, Airservices Australia, has overseen a system where problems go unsolved amid an organisational culture which employees say is "dysfunctional".

The report, written by Australia's air safety regulator the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and obtained by the ABC, lays out hundreds of incidents, ranging from training shortcomings to mismanagement of staff.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority report

• Letter to Airservices Australia from the Aviation Safety director, John McCormick
  
• Report sections on safety performance, regulatory compliance, staffing and service
  
• Report's recommendations and sections on training and supervision, procedures and facilities
  
• Glossary of terms and appendices
  

Frustrated by an ever-growing number of serious incidents where the root cause was never properly identified, CASA considered withdrawing Airservices' approval to operate the network.

CASA however pulled Airservices' ongoing approval to operate the air traffic control system, and imposed a rolling three-year licence, which comes with regular audits and more oversight.

The air safety regulator also wants the current regulations strengthened, giving it the ability to issue fines or take other enforcement actions to force Airservices to improve its operations.

Pilots and controllers alarmed

Non-compliance issues
Melbourne
30+Adelaide
30
Brisbane
29
Perth
25
Sydney
12
Cairns
12
Canberra
17
Alice Springs
17

This table details the number of "non-compliance" notices issued per region, including issues ranging from documentation problems, safety management and training.

Air traffic controllers have expressed concern about the report, with one telling the ABC that he "couldn't believe that Airservices had failed to comply with so many things".

The ABC has spoken to several current and former controllers, all of whom wished to remain anonymous due to fears of retribution and being blacklisted by the monopoly air traffic provider, which is the only real employer of air traffic controllers.

One controller called the company he works for "dysfunctional", saying he was worried about an entrenched culture of mismanagement and bureaucracy.

"If you've got a monopoly and you're making money, and if no-one really cares what you're doing, then why would you improve?" he said.

Australian and International Pilots Association vice president Captain Richard Woodward said the report was concerning.

"I think the system has shown some fairly severe cracks, and the report identifies that," he said.

"It was a concerning report because it's not nice to see the Australian system has that many faults.

"When you read it closely you clearly find there's been a bunch of management issues that have brought this about, and also a lack of trained controllers."

Air traffic controllers are paid well - senior, experienced employees can receive about $200,000 per year.

But many controllers are frustrated at the inadequate levels of training provided for new staff.

"Airspace closes if Airservices can't find enough staff," one of the controllers said.

"Management tries to get around it by moving shifts forward and leaving airspace vacant and uncontrolled."
         
Audio: Listen to AM's report (AM)

The ABC has been told controllers have to ask for annual leave up to four years in advance.

One controller said he had worked more than a month of extra shifts over a year, backfilling for other controllers who were sick or were not qualified to operate certain parts of Australian airspace.

He said Airservices relied on people to agree to extra shifts, rather than finding and training new people.

"All of us have huge amounts of leave, we're all carrying leave credits," he said.

"Airservices is pretty dysfunctional. They're not planning for what's going to happen, but why would they when they're making the money?"

More planes in the air, ever-increasing workload
There are more planes in Australia's skies than ever before.

The mining boom has seen a huge increase in air traffic in areas that have not traditionally experienced large numbers of flights.

Perth has seen a 57 per cent jump, Brisbane a 34 per cent increase, and overall traffic is expected to grow around 3 to 4 per cent per year.

But the number of air traffic controllers has remained the same, all while the Airservices bureaucracy has ballooned.
The report found that over the last decade Airservices increased its employee numbers by about one third.

Air traffic controllers have told the ABC the growth has been mostly in the area of middle-management.

Overworked and stressed conditions have led to a growing number of mistakes.

The 2012 Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) audit detailed 10 "serious incidents" involving air transport in so-called separation events.

Separation refers to the minimum distance between planes required to remove the risk of a collision.

Four of the ten incidents involved air traffic services.

"Near misses are unacceptable in a modern air traffic environment so those items should definitely be fixed and that's directly related to the quality and standard and training and availability of the air traffic system," Mr Woodward said.

"Controllers are working very hard, long hours, long shift hours. It would be good to see them recruit a new breed of controllers and fill all those gaps that they've clearly got."

Despite repeated requests, the union which represents air traffic controllers, CivilAir, declined an interview with the ABC, but did provide a letter.

MTF?- Definitely! P2