[Peetwo]

Democracy Broken - Part II

Angel Flight embuggerance update 27/11/19: A tale of a captured Minister and a complicit Laborial parliament destroying an industry through sheer bloody ignorance...  

References: https://auntypru.com/sbg-24-11-2019-thre...-fountain/




However the following is an indictment and unfortunately a perfect example of how our democratic processes are being constantly eroded and corrupted by a self-serving, self-preserving bureaucracy scuttling around the protected, sterile, fantasy world inside of the Can'tberra bubble...

To begin the following Govt response to the Senate ATSB performance inquiry was tabled on 19 November while parliament was not sitting:

  Government response presented out of sitting on 19 November 2019.  

This response was also conveniently closeted away inside of the Additional Documents web page associated with the inquiry.

Then yesterday in the Dynamic Red this tabled document was listed for debate under item 13 'Consideration of documents' but was deferred due more important Govt business. Today at item 14 it is listed last on the agenda, so I wouldn't be holding my breath on any debate occurring today...  

Finally here is the disgusting, puerile but typical response from our useless and captured Crown Minister...

---

...The Australian Government welcomes the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport
Legislation Committee’s report on the inquiry into the Performance of the Australian
Transport Safety Bureau, and in particular its report on the June 2017 crash of a flight
conducted on behalf of Angel Flight Australia (the report).

The Government is pleased that the Committee recognised the expert analysis conducted by
the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in examining the Angel Flight operations.
While the Committee provided comment on whether non-passenger carrying positioning
flights should have been included in the ATSB’s main calculations of risk, the Government
notes the ATSB’s focus on passenger carrying operations is consistent with the
Government’s Statement of Expectations to the agency.

In providing this response to the Committee’s report, the Government reiterates the
importance of the independence of regulatory bodies, such as the Civil Aviation Safety
Authority (CASA). CASA’s independence is set out in the Civil Aviation Safety Act 1988 which
also allows CASA to issue legislative instruments relating to the safety operation and
maintenance of aircraft where it deems necessary. For these reasons, the Government
notes the two recommendations in the report.

The Government is committed to maintaining a safe aviation environment for all
Australians. Passengers, whether fare paying or not, are generally less able to determine the
level of risk involved in the service they are boarding and rely on the Government to ensure
an appropriate level of aviation safety is maintained. The Government supports CASA, as
Australia’s civil aviation safety regulator, using its expertise and professional judgement to
fulfil that responsibility...

Recommendations of the Senate Committee

The Department notes that recommendations 1 and 2 refer to the ‘Civil Aviation
(Commercial Service Flights – Conditions on Flight Crew Licences) Instrument 2019’,
whereas this should read ‘Civil Aviation (Community Service Flights – Conditions on Flight
Crew Licences) Instrument 2019’.

Recommendation One
The committee recommends that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority amend the Civil Aviation
(Commercial Service Flights – Conditions on Flight Crew Licences) Instrument 2019 to remove
the provisions for additional aeroplane maintenance requirements, which are beyond those
required for airworthiness in the general aviation sector.

The Government notes this recommendation.

The CASA view remains that the inclusion of the modest additional aeroplane maintenance
requirements for Community Service Flight (CSF) activities is an appropriate and
proportionate measure to address the identified risk of a high-use private aircraft
undertaking passenger carrying flights.

Recommendation Two
The committee recommends that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority amend the Civil Aviation
(Commercial Service Flights – Conditions on Flight Crew Licences) Instrument 2019 to clarify
what constitutes the 'operating crew' for a community service flight, particularly as this
relates to additional pilots and mentoring arrangements.

The Government notes this recommendation.

CASA advises that the definition of ‘operating crew’ in the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988
already provides for a pilot being mentored on a CSF. Further, the evidence provided by
CASA as part of this Inquiry has clarified this issue sufficiently...

---

God help our ailing GA industry because this miniscule and the Laborial Government/Parliament never will...  


MTF...P2 

First and foremost in any modern political mind is “me”. Lawyers, journalists and other such riff-raff all competing for their slot in the great trough. Statesmen, leaders and even humble Mp’s who used to be there out of a commitment to make sure Australia and it’s people had the ‘best deal’ their tax dollar could provide; now legend. This is not what we have now. Every single one of our 'great’ statesmen and politicians; of whatever stripe had only one goal; to advance Australia fair. It seems to me this is no longer the case, the land is governed by those who seek only to advance their own position, personal wealth and ego, based on little more to offer than their personality. McCormack is such a creature; one of a long list, too busy self promoting, playing at ‘politics’ as they see ‘em rather than getting stuck in and dragging this once proud, free, rich, democratic nation out of the ‘dependency’ on minerals boom and bust; and, selling off large lumps of the country to other nations; and, selling off our national aerodromes to developers and the like, just so they may gain enough credit to be re-elected.

It's not even open corruption (baksheesh) – it’s a sly, sneaky, underhanded sort of weasel way of feathering their own nest (or power base and funding) through the under the table type of backhander; in votes or money, which is disabling and denigrating this wide brown land. I only have one vote – I cannot change one iota of the ‘way thing’s are’ – but my disgust is my own and; thank the gods, I can, for the moment at least, express that as freely as I please.

McCormack is a living, breathing, trough dwelling parasitic example. A leach on this nation's life blood. His lasting legacy to this nation will be the destruction of aviation enterprise, innovation, investment and freedom. Keep him in government if you must – but FDS – get him away from matters aeronautical, before he seriously ducks it up to an unrecoverable tragedy. (A) He’s brainless; (B) He is totally ‘captured’ by CASA and ATSB – they own him. © His only advice comes directly from St Commode, the runt of the St Commode litter and an expert in trough feeding, as per the established Canberra hierarchy tradition.

OTT?– Probably; but, ye gods I am so weary of seeing this nation sold off, buggered up and mislead by ‘advertising’ for snake oil salesmen, which ‘the 7 morning show’ would kill for. Well -

My two bob. I earned it – spent as pleased me best. End of; and Yus, ‘us ‘as ‘ad a couple and struggling to keep ‘em down. Who mentioned McCormack anyway?

Uhmm - seems like it's early Spring cleaning. Gov't trying to get ahead of the rot; too late - far too late. Across the board through 'bipartisan' and complicit ignorance - the country is in a mess. Two years to fix ASA, ATSB and CASA: dream on. The rest of the supposed "public servants" ain't any better. 'Government' of a farm or an aircraft means exactly the same thing. So why are our 'politico's' not doing their job? Next stop for the Gravy train is at my houseboat dock - look forward to seeing y'all. Don't forget your two pennies. No pennies - no passage; it is that simple.

ABC - nearly onto the great scam of 'governance'.

Just in case you forgot.

Tall Tail 2: On Leopards Spots and Parliamentary Pantomimes -

Following on from P7's (aka Ol'Tom) obvious disdain for miniscule Mick Mack and the 'broken democracy' theme...

Yesterday was the last Parliamentary sitting day for the year and while trolling through Hansard I noted  the usual mutual Laborial backslapping in the 'valedictory' speeches - see HERE:

---

Perhaps a little more vomitus than usual -   

Senator CORMANN: I'm trying to not go so far as to get Penny into trouble! I think Penny and I are known to engage robustly, when appropriate, in the battle of ideas and in the political battle, but I have always very much appreciated the friendship and the professionalism and, quite frankly, the really trusting relationship that we've been able to build, which does help to facilitate the 'managed conflict' that is required on occasions in this chamber. In the end, we do have to facilitate the resolution of issues that are sometimes difficult to resolve, and it does involve a lot of logistics along the way. I've had the privilege of working closely with Penny for many years now...

Senator WONG (South Australia—Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (16:56): I rise to respond to my friend and colleague Senator Cormann. I start by beginning with the observation that obviously we did hope that we might be giving these speeches from the other side of the chamber, and at the end of 2019 we reflect on the way things are somewhat different. This has been a long year and a challenging year, and I just want to place on record a few thanks to people in this place and also beyond...

...To Senator Cormann, this is what my staff wrote for me: 'Senator Cormann and I may not have political principles in common, but we do share a hairstyle.' I'm thinking of sacking that staff member, because I don't think that's true. And the next line is, 'Although I'm pleased to say his has gone a little greyer than mine over the last couple of years'—I don't think that's true either, but it's very kind...

I also noted that at the same time as this Laborial love fest was going on that the RRAT committee was getting on with the serious business of examining the disturbing decimation of the Australian Dairy industry:

Senator Susan McDonald
@SenMcDonald

At a Senate hearing today, representatives of Aldi said they have it in writing from processor Lactalis that farmers are being paid a farmgate price above the costs of production.
In light of farmers saying the opposite, I have asked Aldi to investigate as a matter of urgency.

 

And then I noted further down the Hansard that at the very same time the RRAT committee was collating evidence for it's Dairy inquiry there was a (very convenient -   ) Govt response tabled for the committee's completed Air Routes inquiry: 

 

(Note again no objection or interest in further debate on the Govt response)

Now it should be remembered that there was a very large rural and regional community participation and response to that inquiry. Consequently there was numerous public hearings held across the length and breadth of regional Australia, culminating in an inquiry that went across two parliaments and took over 20 months to complete (round about the same time as the proposed GA inquiry -   ), so a costly parliamentary inquiry.

Now you can read it (and weep) on the Govt response in Hansard (last committee link reference) but I would just like to draw your attention to the only 'rejected' Govt (miniscule Mick Mack) response to a Senator Patrick recommendation:

Recommendation 5
In recognition that the current Civil Aviation Safety Regulations have stalled the wings of General Aviation, the Australian Government must initiate a major rewrite of the Regulations, such that they are significantly simplified.

The Australian Government does not agree with this recommendation.

The Australian Government rejects the assertion the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASR) "have stalled the wings of General Aviation".

The Australian Aircraft Activity 2018 report by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) shows that total hours flown by the General Aviation sector has increased by approximately 9 per cent since 2015. While hours flown in some sub-sectors have decreased, hours flown in other sub-sectors such as Instructional Flying (Commercial) has increased by more than 30 per cent since 2015.

The CASR have been developed in consultation with industry and are written in accordance with the Australian Government legislative drafting manual.

Further, the BITRE study found that, among the nine key challenges affecting General Aviation, the only one relating to regulation noted that the "impact of regulatory changes" was a challenge to General Aviation; therefore, the Australian Government does not support a major rewrite of the Regulations.

The Government supports the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's continued work in developing guidance material to foster greater understanding and easier adoption of the CASR by the general aviation community. The development of a plain English guide for general operating and flight rules (CASR Part 91), which explains the regulations in lay terms using diagrams and charts, is one such example.

Hmm...need I say more?? - INCOMING! 


MTF...P2