[Kharon]

The bouncer can relax.

I can agree with most of the points raised; and it is a fact of life that successive ‘ministers of the day’ have hidden behind the stainless steel walls and glass windows of the ‘departments’. There, they are fed a daily dose of reassuring ‘facts’ and glossy presentations describing how wonderfully well they are doing. He is also happy to be and easily convinced that the majority of ‘industry’ are quite happy with the current situation.  The ministers are never allowed to understand how the ‘happy-clappy’ world of aviation is managed with threat, retribution, audit, exemption and the ever present big stick of don’t complain or we’ll knock back every modification you apply for.

Where the Senate is brilliant is in getting the ‘message’ through peer group and party lines to the dunderhead in office; whereas the sweepings of society, such as the IOS have not got a snowflake in hells chance of influencing a minister.  I know the time allotted, the inevitable ‘on-notice’ delays and the momentum lost between sittings is frustrating; but it the best tool available; and, as you mention, they have managed, despite frustration, to do a very good job for industry.

It comes down to a choice of walking home in the rain or catching the local bus; no handy taxi’s after midnight.

So enough grumble – get ‘em in and I’ll set up the dart board. We can discuss things of import; now, did you hear the one about the young matron from Dallas, who used a dynamite stick, for a phallus,

Toot toot.