[Kharon]

Now that made some *very* interesting viewing.  I have to ask, though (and pardon my ignorance..) what is the expected outcome of these hearings?  Will there be any pressure brought to bear on the minister, or any of the underlings running the show?  Or is it all full of sound and music, but ultimately signifying nothing?

That is the $660,000,000 question ain’t it.   IMO it’s a foregone conclusion, somewhere in the PAIN library is a list of inquiries, reports, commissions etc. from the past quarter century.  All done by Senates of various stripe and colour; none of which have made the slightest bit of difference.  There have been brief flashes of hope, where rules and attitudes were, for brief periods, changed; short lived though they were.

In recent times we have seen CASA, ATSB and now ASA exposed and publicly humiliated, their collective aberrations clearly defined; we have even seen sensible reform proposed and sanctioned by a Minister.  All window dressing.

Meanwhile, in real life, Wodger, Beaker and most of the other bandits happily continue to reek havoc, create mayhem, ignore the law in favour of personal policy and preference.  Do exactly as they bloody well please, unhindered, unfettered, with total immunity.    

Jane Halton (from the excellent Mandarin) “So people decide that there is a particular requirement, a compliance requirement, which appears nowhere in any chief executive instructions or any piece of legislation, and then it becomes a matter of holy writ that you have to do something this particular way.”

“So whilst we are going to do things about the rules, and the red tape in the rules, [this is] one of the messages I’m giving my colleagues. And in fact I’m talking about this in my department, because I have found a number of examples of this in my department.”

CASA have taken this to ridiculous lengths – both ways – to ease the way for favourites and decimate those less liked.  

Is change coming? Probably, the but just to cover the tracks, there is no hope of reform, just better avoidance of criticism and arse covering tactics. 

I'll own that is was a very entertaining evening; the Senators know the answers to those questions, they are well briefed.  What happens next?  –well,  you pays your money and takes your chances; that’s what..

Toot toot  - Oh, and welcome to AP..... ...