[P7_TOM]

Folks,

From The Australian today.
 
Another example of Can’tberra operating with it usual efficiency, all in an atmosphere of genuine cooperation and goodwill, with the best interests of the, in this case, the travelling public and the taxpayers of Australia, at heart.
 
Or, in other words, another SeaSprite/ CASA Regulatory Reform program/ Energy Policy/ Climate Policy/ subject of choice.
 
Along with GNP, GDP and all the other measures, we need a new benchmark index: GNS --- Gross National Stupidity.
 
Cheers - BRB Founding member.

The Australian

·       12:00AM May 9, 2018



·       [img] https://media.theaustralian.com.au/autho...iggins.png[/img]



Sydney

@EanHiggins

Airservices Australia will hit Top End regional air service operators with higher charges to subsidise the cost of hosting military air-traffic controllers in Brisbane to guide pilots flying into Darwin and Townsville.

The bizarre measure was part of a desperate bid by government-owned Airservices, which runs civilian air-traffic control, to keep Defence from dropping out of the troubled $1.5 billion OneSKY project to integrate the civilian and military airspace management systems with state-of-the-art technology by 2025.

Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick said Airservices would likely be grilled on the price increase when its officers next come before Senate estimates, including whether it breaches competition law about cross-subsidisation.

As revealed by The Australian last week, documents obtained by Senator Patrick under Freedom of Information law show last year Defence threatened to put no more money into OneSKY until it was convinced it was still affordable, something military chiefs doubted.

A massive blow-out in costs of the project, which has suffered a series of budget over-runs, disagreements, delays and questions about probity meant Defence could no longer get all the original benefits from OneSKY that had been agreed under the original deal with Airservices.

To keep Defence’s contribution to the budgeted $521 million, Airservices chief executive Jason Harfield proposed a series of “down-scoping” measures worth up to $250m.

These included not installing OneSKY approach services in Darwin and Townsville for military air-traffic controllers who now direct both civilian and ­military traffic at those airports, contrary to what had originally been agreed.

Rather, the Darwin and Townsville approach services would be “consolidated” in Brisbane, Mr Harfield proposed, and Airservices would host military controllers in its Brisbane centre for that purpose. Defence recoiled from the proposal, and Mr Harfield offered a sweetener: free office accommodation.

In September, he wrote to Chief of Air Force Gavin Davies: “I would like to reassure you that Airservices will provide, at no cost to Defence, the facility and equipment necessary in Brisbane.”

Eventually, Defence buckled and agreed to the consolidation to keep to the $521m budget, but subsequently, the federal government nonetheless agreed to give a further $243m to Defence for its side of the project, amounting to a half-billion-dollar loss of value for taxpayers.

Airservices funds its budget by charges on the aviation industry, and in the letter to Air Marshal Davies, Mr Harfield wrote: “We would intend to recover these costs (of hosting military controllers in Brisbane) by extending our existing charging regime at Darwin and Townsville for civilian aircraft.”

Senator Patrick said: “This somewhat flippant remark from the head of Airservices is very disturbing and indicates the organisation is out of touch with community expectation.”

Airservices spokesman Tim de Raadt refused to answer questions about the price-hike plans, including how much extra Airservices would charge air operators, whether the industry had been told, how the organisation justified charging the private air sector more, and whether it was sure this did not raise competition law.