[Peetwo]

GD – “My money would be on bringing in an external candidate for the ASA CEO role, someone preferably from an international background. As with CAsA and ATSBeaker there are many competent choices out there, much better choices than the ridiculous ex RAAF/Australian bureaucrats that keep getting gifted the top roles.”

Amen to that; let's at least spend the dollars on professionals.

The Kiwi success story paints a clear picture; ruthlessly they cleaned out all the deadwood and started again, with fresh blood and new ideas.  ASA, ATSB and CASA are all stuck in a time warp.  The resistance to cultural change within these organisations is remarkable and has survived, unscathed for generations.  The only constant.

Hoody is a not a bad sort, but he has blood on his hands from his CASA days, best of a bad lot, I’ll agree and probably in the right position.  But it’s the top end which needs to be cleaned out; but will it?  The Houston defence has been built, the early part of the last committee session laid the foundations and we will be expected to swallow the fairy story.  A few like Harfi tossed on the bonfire, couple of sacrificial lambs. the odd scapegoat a brief period of window dressing and it will be business as usual.  You can see it happening now with CASA; delay, soothing words, empty gestures, oil on the troubled waters; time passes, normal service resumed; it’s a game.

Big money and power politics will win the game; any suspicion that An(g)us had his fingers in the pie will be eradicated.   But I ask you, is it likely that a board responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars and huge contracts are so naïve that they are unaware of what occurs behind the scenes, when this much money is involved.

Bollocks – they know, they remain at arms length; but they know.  Hell the tea lady knows how it works.  There are two options; the board is either complicit or; so naïve that they would buy the harbour bridge from a bloke in the pub.  Either way – it’s unacceptable, except it is accepted by those who pay for the fun and games; the mugs, i.e. us.

Leave Hoody running ‘operations’ and bring in a real CEO; one who is well versed in and skilled at ‘negotiations’ of this type; a person who know the game, can find the ladders, spot the snakes and manage the board.  As GD says, plenty of first class contenders out there; just a matter of getting the right specification from the DoIT.  Can you imagine the Murky Machiavellian drafting the ‘spec’ for a honest, clean skin who knows the game.  Fat chance, but, it’s nice thought to start the day.

The 'frog in a sock' brigade has infiltrated the ranks...

Good points you make Ferryman and maybe you should be making that pitch to the new appointee to the Board, as it would seem there maybe an ulterior motive to his low fanfare appointment by DPM Truss - fresh from a week off-- -- 'that man' again:  

John McGee: PM’s ‘Lycra mate’ inside Airservices  

• by: Ean Higgins
  
• From: The Australian
  
• August 28, 2015 12:00AM
  

Reporter
Sydney


Tony Abbott will from next month have a member of his “Lycra Cabinet”, the group of close male friends from school and university days who cycle ­together, on the inside of the government-owned body Airservices Australia.  

The move comes as Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss declined to repeat a statement expressing confidence in Airservices’ handling of a $1.5 billion project after Labor and Coalition senators claimed it had been compromised by “incestuous” and “dodgy” family and ­corporate alleged conflicts of interest.

In a little-reported move earlier this month Mr Truss, whose transport portfolio covers aviation, announced John McGee, a lawyer and investment banker, would join the Airservices board.

Mr McGee, until recently managing director of Bank of New York Australia, has immaculate credentials for the appointment, made by cabinet.

“Senior ministers wanted someone with strong commercial experience,” a government source said. “In particular, it was thought Mr McGee’s financial, legal and governance experience made him a valuable addition to the board.”

Some aviation industry observers suggested that in addition, the Prime Minister might be grateful to get someone he has long known and trusted installed inside in the organisation at a crucial time.

A Senate committee will call Airservices chairman Angus Houston and other board members before it to explain how much they knew about a web of personal and corporate interconnections surrounding contracts awarded for a new state-of-the-art national air traffic control system called OneSKY.

So concerned were senators on the rural and regional ­affairs and transport legislation committee about what they regarded as a lack of clear answers from Airservices executives at a hearing last week that the committee will write to the National Audit Office seeking a “serious audit” of the organisation.

The hearing had initially been called to grill Airservices executives about performance bonuses of up to $100,000 they each received in a financial year when profits halved and return on equity targets were not met.

It emerged that Airservices had paid a consulting group, the International Centre for Complex Project Management, several million dollars to advise it on OneSKY. An ICCPM consultant, former RAAF officer Harry Bradford, has already been paid $1 million to act as Airservices’ lead negotiator with the successful prime contractor, international aerospace group Thales.

It emerged Thales Australia’s managing director, Chris Jenkins, is also chairman of ICCPM, prompting senators to ask why there was not a conflict of interest with Mr Bradford paid by Airservices to negotiate on its behalf a deal with the head of his own consultancy group.

Earlier this month, before the Senate committee hearing, Mr Truss told The Australian through a spokesman he was “satisfied that the ongoing negotiation and acquisition of One­SKY are being managed appro­priately”. Following the hearing, Mr Truss declined to repeat the comment, but said through a spokesman he had confidence in Sir Angus as chairman.

“The minister is aware … some matters were raised in relation to the Airservices OneSKY project, including management of perceived conflicts of interest,” the spokesman said.

“Airservices confirmed at the hearings that there were independent probity and conflict of interest arrangements in place and will provide the committee with more details.”

Hmm...so what's the tote on how long huff'n'puff Harfy will last..

A Miniscule doubt??

This bit..

"..Earlier this month, before the Senate committee hearing, Mr Truss told The Australian through a spokesman he was “satisfied that the ongoing negotiation and acquisition of One­SKY are being managed appro­priately”. Following the hearing, Mr Truss declined to repeat the comment, but said through a spokesman he had confidence in Sir Angus as chairman.."

..kind of reinforces the "K" assertions in his last post..

MTF..P2