[Kharon]

Four years ago David Forsyth and his team came up with about 37 recommendations, government accepted all bar around three or four. Steve Hitchen asked me to write my opinion about the government’s response. I found that about half of the accepted recommendations were only accepted in principle.

Australian Flying published my opinion under my chosen heading “High Hopes or Soft Soaps.”
Has there been any discernible turn around, real improvements of substantive nature? No there has not because the government had no willpower to follow through and the whole exercise was a huge waste of time and money. Instead of seeing or finding the root cause of the disaster the Senate Committee embarks upon yet another time and money wasting inquiry which will only send more aviation participants into despair or resignation. More will simply give up and its a moot point if a new and younger cohort of aviation personnel will make up replacement numbers.

The only difference presently is the good motivation of the Senate Committee, it is not soft soaping but it is on a wrong course. It should be demanding immediate government action at Cabinet level. They have reams of material and scores of industry people to draw upon.

 --> Spot on and choc frog.
 
Boycott or KBO?
 
“The learning point: when all around you appears to be in a state of collapse, just keep going. You may find that seemingly overwhelming events have a way of working themselves out. As Churchill famously put it, “Keep buggering on” (KBO).
 
Both notions have merit; I confess to a sinking feeling when I look over the reams of material available and anticipate the hours of work required to condense it into a cohesive, final argument which may – maybe bring about some sanity into the regulator and the regulations. All unnecessary, all avoidable for the wont of a decent DAS and a minister with more brains than a well trained rabbit and the sensitivity of a pub toilet seat. Alas…
 
One of the heart breaking things is IMO the focus points of the proposed inquiry. Perhaps the first thing industry could do is to draft a list of ‘real’ issues for the RRAT to investigate. Gods alone know how long that list would end up; but, I dare say ‘the list’ could be condensed into a few broad categories. Industry complaints for example. There is an item which would rock the Senators socks. Real issues, in real time, in the real world; who gives a toss about once again defining why CASA is a failed experiment – we know the answer to that. Its writ large across every aerodrome in this land – bleak, empty and surrounded by developers seducing the town Council.
 
Major flaws in the RRAT inquiry focus–
 
(i) Time. By the end of the two year period a new director will be appointed. It will take a whole year after the final report for CASA and the minister to respond; the new boss will then ‘re-organise’ which will take another twelve month – it will then take a further two years for the results to become apparent. Forget it – bring in a new director now with a brief to reform CASA. Import some sensible regulation and within the two years the Senate proposes to be poncing about industry will be up and running – properly. We don’t need another inquiry – we need a honest regulator and sane regulation – now; before Christmas would be great.
 
(ii) Many years ago, there was the longest running Senate inquiry into aviation. (Stand corrected here) from memory the Morrison Inquiry – that ran (from memory) just shy of a full year. Since then there have been other ‘inquiries’ (many) all of which archived sweet Fanny Adams except bring about the current unholy Pooh fight. The Iron Ring simply built defences against future attack on the issues raised and continued along, unchallenged to the place it holds today. Wholly and totally responsible for the mess industry is in.
 
There’s lots more to consider – but if the Senate is ‘fair dinkum’ then they need to call for submissions from ex ATSB, ASA and CASA employees (in camera); revisit every act of embuggerance against operators and get a grip on the real reasons why aviation is failing. Another round of recommendations treated as opinion is about as much use as a chocolate firewall.
 
There is a real temptation to say ‘Ah Duck it’ and spend the time demanded doing something useful – like campaigning for land rights for gay whales.
 
Toot – toot.