Master Easton sets a bar the majority of main stream media journalists could not attempt; flat, factual, no frills reporting. Until P2 brought ‘the Mandarin’ to my attention it would never have entered my wooden head to even contemplate reading such a journal – now, by a weird twist of fate I’m a fan, Easton has had a bit to do with this. Karma eh? – serves me right for being a political dunderhead.
P2 has cherry picked some of the best quotes and quite correctly drawn the parallels between the Mills brouhaha and the troubled ‘transport’ departments, through which all matters aeronautical are filtered. It says much for the ‘mystique’ of air safety that despite some very serious, expensive, damning reports being handed back over the past two decades that essentially little has changed. The sins of Mills are but a peccadillo in comparison to some of the breathtaking obscenities, flagrantly displayed since the Pel-Air scandal was dragged, kicking and screaming out of shadow.
When you look closely at the Mills dust up, you could argue a case that her ‘crimes’ in comparison to those committed by ATSB and CASA were light weight; and, she was either treated very harshly or, the DoIT & Co have, so far gotten away very lightly. Either way, the message is clear enough.
The Mills imbroglio may go some way to explaining the delayed answers to QoN; no one would want to be caught with their pants down in the post Mills atmosphere. Our own very own departments must work out how best to cover their very exposed nether regions. For to tell the truth now may expose a previous fairy story; to tell a fairy story now risks exposure, as how much ammunition the Senators hold is an unknown. Perhaps the MoP will drift way into the mists; perhaps not – we shall see.
Change the names and the parallels are there, clear as day, for all to see:-
Quote:….If any more explanation is required for the dismissal of Parliamentary Services secretary Carol Mills last week, it was provided today in yet another unfavourable report from yet another inquiry into the troubled department.
But chief among them seems to be the view that Mills has been less than forthcoming when called to account, giving evidence to multiple inquires over several years that was seen as variously incomplete, contradictory, evasive, dismissive and even deliberately misleading.
Quote:….The committee notes the department’s poor reputation made it difficult to recruit senior staff and that general morale is low. It savages Mills over her explanations for the lack of progress:
Quote:……The Privileges Committee found Mills an evasive and unhelpful witness whose testimony was contradicted by her own department, and when she responded to its December 2014 report, she only dug herself deeper. The Clerk of the Senate Rosemary Laing took issue with Mills’ response and wrote to the committee to say so.
Bravo the Mandarin and Master Easton; well done indeed. It is only proper, but unfortunate that Easton should not ‘investigate’ and report, but must wait until after the fact. I for one would enjoy reading his take on the ‘doings’ of the Murky Machiavellian crew, from pink bats through to land deals; the art of dodging Senate bullets, side stepping ICAO; and, best of all, explaining away the mountain of waste paper the public has funded, to the tune of some $230, 000, 000, laughingly referred to as aviation ‘Regulatory reform’.
No matter, we may yet, in time have the pleasure to read Easton describing similar after the fact events – Gods willing, weather permitting and Karma obliging.
P9.@ http://auntypru.com/forum/-Senate-Estimates-24th-February-2015
