[Peetwo]

Supplementary Estimates QON published - 

Senator McKenzie et.al have been busy composing hundreds of additional written QON - see HERE - much to the horror of Secretary EWB, there is (at this stage) a total of 462 Supplementary Budget Estimates addressed to the Secretary's Department and associated agencies - WOW! 

For our supposedly statutorily independent aviation safety agencies:

Airservices 32 QON:

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Question
1. Overtime hours from Air Traffic Controllers from the numbers in 2019 to 2023, with Sydney's average overtime hours per Air Traffic Controller increasing by 46% per fortnight, Brisbane by 173%, and Melbourne by 30% between those years. Is the reason for this the relative decrease in the amount of Air Traffic Controllers between those two periods to deal with flight volume?
2. What is Air Services doing to ensure that overtime hours from Air Traffic Controllers don't become excessive?
3. Is there a risk from Air Traffic Controllers working too much overtime, and what is Air Services doing to mitigate this risk where possible?

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Question
1. Most of the cancellations and delays were in regional areas. Could you please explain why there were 546 impacted flights in Ballina? 370 flights impacted in Alice Spring?
2. And what is the explanation for Airservices Australia's gold record for flights impacted at Albury Airport with 783 flights impacted?
3. Adelaide and Hobart had just one flight impacted by Airservices Australia and Albury 783?

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Question
1. In terms of air traffic controllers taking sick leave, what is the latest data you have on this?
2. What does ASA do to manage the high level of sick day leave? My understanding is that management suggests air traffic controllers actively discourage sick days being taken. What about those people who aren't taking sick leave at all? What is the psychological-social pressures on those that never take sick leave?

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Question
1. ATCs who are on long service leave?
2. ATCs who are on long-term leave for ill-health?
3. Middle managers who are doing administrative/supervisory duties rather than being ''at the controls''?
4. What about ATCs who are working through long-term health issues? Are they counted?
5. What about a person who was getting treatment for leukemia? Would they be still counted?
6. How is the shortage of ATCs impacting on general aviation, such as parachuting and ballooning?

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Question
1. The RIS (the Retirement Incentive Scheme 2021) was clearly a disaster because there was no follow up plan, what is ASA doing to get qualified, ready-for-work ATCs to close the staff shortages that are creating havoc with flights particularly in regional Australia?
2. What actions are you considering to re-deploy recently RISed Air Traffic Controllers who could with a short retraining period, be re-engaged?
3. Surely this would be a quicker way of getting more people with a Yellow Book rather than waiting to train up new recruits which takes 16-24 months at a minimum?

ATSB 13 QON:

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Question
1. Chief Commissioner 's review 2021-22 states that ATSB 'flagged our ongoing concern about collisions between trading ships and small vessels on the Australian coast' following an incident in February 2020. What additional actions have been taken to mitigate the risk of these collisions?
2. In 2021-22 the ATSB failed to meet the performance criterion that '85% of safety issues [are] addressed in the previous financial year'. Given that only 74% of safety issues were addressed in 2021-22, what needs to happen to meet this performance criterion?
3. In 2021-22 the ATSB missed its target median times to complete short (8 months), defined (16 months) and systemic (22 months) investigations. How can ATSB investigations be completed within the target times?
4. Despite a substantial increase in air traffic, the ATSB received approximately $500,000 less in government funding in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21. Did this impact the agency's functions?

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Question
What proportion of time and budget did the ATSB work on the independent investigation of transport accidents and other safety occurrences in 2021-22??

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Question
1. What proportion of time and budget did the ATSB work on safety data recording, analysis and research in 2021-22??

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Question
What proportion of time and budget did the ATSB work on fostering safety awareness, knowledge and action in 2021-22??

   

CASA 26 QON:

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Question
1. In response to Question on Notice 159 of the 2022-23 Supplementary Budget Estimates you stated that the was no evidence that there are insufficient Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, and only said that there were anecdotal reports suggesting delays due to limited supply. This is in direct contradiction to the evidence in the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel's ASAP Technical Work Group's second meeting report in 2020 which stated that there is a shortage, especially in rural and regional areas. If there's no evidence now, what has changed in those three years?
2. Has CASA actually taken on board the work of the advisory group and implemented recommendations from the working group to ensure that Australia has sufficient access to LAMEs to support the aviation industry?
3. Why is CASA not acknowledging the evidence from the working group and admitting that we do have a problem with LAME availability in Australia, and working with industry to find a solution before we see more safety incidents as a result?
4. Has CASA engaged with other departments to try and improve training pathways for LAMEs?
5. What is CASA doing to improve the number of LAMEs that are available to service Australia's fleet of planes?

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Question
1. Does the regulation authorise the carriage of emergency service agency personnel on the aircraft?
2. The people of New South Wales effectively own an ex-military Chinook helicopter along with the 737 Fireliner, Marie Bashir and several smaller aircraft to respond to emergencies within the state. During the 2022 floods impacting a wide area of Northern NSW, the NSW Rural Fire Service requested the operator of their contracted Chinook at the time to support uplift and delivery of vital supplies to members of the public stranded by flood waters. This request was made to CASA under the relevant regulation available to authorise ex-military aircraft to carry emergency response cargo. In order to reduce increased stress during times of emergency response, would CASA consider pre-approval of the relevant authorisation rather than waiting until a crisis has developed?
3. In overseas jurisdictions, and here in Australia, ex-military aircraft are a very important element of the aerial firefighting capability required to protect the public during heightened risk fire seasons over the coming years. Significantly, in the USA specialist support and direct firefighting personnel are able to be carried on ex-military aircraft - why is this key capability not allowed in Australia, yet I can go out today and book an adventure flight in an ex-military jet that is up to 65 years old?

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Question
1. Operators of health services to remote Australia which help over 800 Australian families living with a disability, will be grounded by an upcoming 1 December 2023 deadline imposed under 7AA of?CASA EX82/21 - Part 119 of CASR - Supplementary Exemptions and Directions Instrument 2021 (Attachment A), a deadline which does not correlate to the rest of the Instrument.?You've previously stated to operators that the intention of the deadline was to enable CASA to engage with relevant stakeholders, has this engagement occurred?
2. Will CASA agree to extend this deadline to 1 December 2024, like the other items in the Instrument, to enable this stakeholder engagement process to be effected, noting this deadline is six weeks away and is causing unnecessary stress on both operators and those needing health services?
3. Has CASA looked at creating a separate class for Not for Profits and Charities that provided much needed transport for routine medical visits for rural and regional people, including a number of NDIS recipients, to avoid the risk of these critical services no longer being able to operate?
4. Regional communities are heavily reliant on services like Angel Flight and Fly2Health to be able to make routine medical appoints hundreds of kilometres away from their home as health services often aren't available in the more remote regions, if these not for profits are no longer able to operate as a result of these regulations, does CASA intend to explain to these communities why they are no longer able to access these vital flights?

UDB! - 

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Question
1. Are there any concerns around CASA's test for 'hire or reward' is out of line with the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and other aviation jurisdictions in the world?
2. Was the introduction covered in the notices of proposed rulemaking and economic impact statement?

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Department Aviation & Airports:

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Question
1. How many regional airports have approached the Department for assistance following the cessation of the Regional Airport Screening financial assistance?
2. Is the department aware of any other services, beyond Rex to and from Whyalla Airport, that have ceased as a result of the Government's decision to end this assistance?
3. Has the Department made a submission for MYEFO to request temporary financial support for regional airports to manage the costs of implementing security screening services until the White Paper is completed?

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Question
1. Why has the Department not established the Slots Compliance Committee in accordance with the requirements of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act?

2. What authority does the Department have to not give effect to legislation of the Parliament?

3. When after 22 May 2022 did the Department first brief Minister King on its preference not to establish a Slots Compliance Committee?

4. What advice, if any, did the Minister provide the Department on this issue?

5. Is the Department proposing to draft legislation to amend the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act to improve the ability of the Slots Compliance Committee to undertake its compliance activities?

6. If not, what other action is the Department proposing should occur?

7. Does the Department accept that it cannot indefinitely allow legislation to not be enacted?

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Question
1. Chapter 7 of the ATSB report titled ''Aerodrome design standards and the Bulla Road Precinct development at Essendon Fields Airport'' notes that there was no regulatory assurance framework between CASA and Airservices to the Department of Infrastructure prior to 2019.

Will the Department be conducting an audit on all structures constructed prior to 2019, on federal aviation land, to ensure compliance with the current safety standards, as these structures were approved prior to the safety assurance framework being implemented?

2. If this has been undertaken, what evidence does the Department of Infrastructure have on the results?

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Question
Under the Airports Act, the Department of Infrastructure are meant to ensure all airport master plans and major development plans comply with the relevant state or territories planning scheme.
How did the Minister confirm the veracity of what is contained in the master plan or major development plan and that it complies with the relevant planning schemes?

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Question
1. Under the Airports Act, any construction totalling greater than $25M requires a major development plan. Note that Airports Act stipulates that any projects constructed concurrently and consecutively should be aggregated to the $25M.

Did the clearing of the aviation land, construction of these three buildings and the road cost more than $25M? If it is considered to be under $25M, how was this assessed?

2. Was an exemption sought from the major development plan process?

3. Was an exemption approved from the major development plan process?

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Question
Given the department's previous concerns from the 2015 Master Plan at Moorabbin, in looking at other similar training airports around the country, has the development of the non-aviation sector at Moorabbin overshadowed aviation development to the expense of General Aviation?

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Question
1. Is the Department of Infrastructure aware that despite government policy that no tenant was to be evicted during the COVID pandemic, Moorabbin Airport Corporation was evicting tenants during this time under these lease arrangements?
2. If the Minister will not meet with the Airport tenants, would the Department be willing to meet with them and to explain the reasons why the Masterplan was approved?

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Question
1. QON No. 339 (SQ23-004573) advised 73 claims had been referred to Comcare by AirServices Australia staff in the 2022-23 financial year to date. Has the Minister requested Departmental advice on the high level of ComCare claims within AirServices Australia?

2. What action is the Department taking, as the central agency supporting AirServices Australia, to address the high level of ComCare claims?

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Question
Mr Betts, why didn't you attend the Senate Select Committee on Commonwealth Bilateral Air Service Agreements?

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Question
Who in the Department signed off on the minute sent to the Minister to enter into a negotiating mandate?

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Question
Has the Department provided a brief to the Minister on the recommendations of the Report into the Senate Select Committee on Commonwealth Bilateral Air Service Agreements

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Question
In questions taken on notice (IQ23-000150) in the recent hearing for the aviation senate inquiry, the answers provided gave no helpful detail or clarity. Knowing that you would have looked into these matters since then, I'm asking the following questions:
a. When did Minister King's office advise the Prime Minister's office of her decision to block Qatar Airway's additional flights? I would like the official date.
b. Was there any advice from Minister King's office to the Prime Minister's office in the two weeks leading up to the decision?

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Question
1. When did the Minister for Transport first become aware of the application by Turkish Airlines to increase flights into Australia?
2. One what date did the Department inform the Minister?
3. What was the date last year that Turkish Airlines approached the Department for additional flights?
4. On what dates did the Department seek feedback from stakeholders on the Turkish Airlines request?
5. Did the Department at any time brief the Minister on the expression interest?
6. In a press conference on 15 August 2023, Minister King stated:
''I see from reports in the media that Turkish Airlines are intending to eventually apply''
Can you confirm what date Turkish Airlines submitted their formal application for additional flights into Australia? I understand it was the first week of August?
7. Why then in the third week of August is the Minister claiming that she had only known about it from media reports?
8. On the 15th of August, the Minister says on 4CA radio in Cairns:
''I understand, Turkish Airlines they haven't actually put a proposal to us as yet''
Was this statement correct on the 15th August?
9. On the 28th September the General Manager of Turkish Airlines said to the Senate Committee:
''We are still, till this day, expecting a reply from their side.''
Have the Department provided any response to Turkish Airlines about their application?
10. What is the current status of the Turkish Airlines application for additional flights?
11. On the 28th September, Turkish Airlines said in the Senate Committee hearing:
''Our first aim was actually to start in December, slowly sending direct flights into Australia for the first time. But now it doesn't seem possible to start in December, so we are expecting to finalise these talks with Civil Aviation as soon as possible so we can make a new plan for flights into Australia''
If the application was to be approved, what would the best case scenario be for additional flights to take off out of Australia?

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Question
1. Why has the Minister given so many contradictory explanations as to why she rejected the Qatar request for additional flights?
2. Can the Minister explain how her decision to reject the application for additional flights to and from Australia by Qatar Airways will benefit Australian consumers?

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Question
1. Can you confirm what airlines have a contract with the Commonwealth to provide commercial air services to the Indian Ocean Territories?
2. How many flights went to the IOTs this year?
a. How does that compare to other years?
b. If less, what are the reasons we saw less flights?
3. What is the cost to the commonwealth to service commercial flights to the IOTs?
4. When do you expect contracts to be renegotiated?

MTF...P2