[Peetwo]

Thinking thinking thinking.......

Can you really imagine, our 'beloved' pumpkin head, Murky Machiavellian reigning in 'internal red tape', mate the guy is so inept he can't even get his AQONs to the Senate Estimate QONs in on time - have a look here FFS  -  Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
Now compare that to the Department of Agriculture, for example...

Right then you lot, it's settled. We shall request a clean sweep of the board (literally) and swap the aviation dross in political power for the agriculture boys in political power! At least if we get the agriculture lads over here they will have something in common with Pumpkin Heads team - Pumpkin heads group know nothing about aviation, so the agriculture lads will be ok in that regard, and Pumpkin Heads group are used to leaving a trail of shite behind them, well the agriculture lads are used to shite and fertilisers etc, so no problem! Plus the added bonus is that we already have an Ag pilot group, so we can demand that Ag Phil be promoted to Chief Mandarin!! That will set the cat among the pigeons, fun times indeed!!!

"Safe swaps for all"

Q/ Is M&Ms Dept the most inefficient, non-compliant to Govt policy, Federal Govt Department??

Actually Gobbles, IMO Barnaby's Department is just one in a list of medium size departments (like DoIRD), that show efficiencies light years ahead of M&M and the murky, trough dwelling, agencies he oversees.

Besides the glossy, weasel-worded & expertly PC'ed Annual Reports, by design the Senate Estimates is the only real time/snapshot exposure the public & MSM get, that enables the average punter to review the performance of these Department Mandarins & their minions.

Therefore the QON & how/why/when they are answered goes directly to the probity, efficiency, transparency & performance of individual departments & ultimately their Mandarins.

So for a point of comparison here are the links for individual Senate Legislative Committees that deal with all the accountable Government Departments:

Reports, hearing transcripts and answers to questions on notice
(including information from previous estimates hearings)

• Community Affairs
  
• Economics
  
• Education and Employment
  
• Environment and Communications
  
• Finance and Public Administration
  
• Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
  
• Legal and Constitutional Affairs
  
• Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport
  

 
  OK so let us use the 'Community Affairs' committee as an example. First click on the CA link and then go down the Estimates page and click on the last budget estimates:

Answers to questions on notice, additional information and transcripts

2015-16 Estimates

• Budget—1-5 June 2015
  

Next we'll pick a Department QONs link, in this case we'll pick the Social Services portfolio:

Questions on notice - index and answers, additional information tabled documents

• Social Services Portfolio
  
• Health Portfolio
  
• Human Services Portfolio
  

  
You will see that the Social Services, despite a huge list of QON, have managed to answer all the questions pretty much on or before the due date - 24 July 2015.

Ok then we go to M&Ms department -

Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development

Questions on notice index: (PDF 805 KB)


Answers are due 10 July 2015.

Answers to Questions on Notice - ???--zilch, nothing, nada--???

 
Okay I have been through the whole list (& besides one or two exceptions of individual department agencies dragging their feet on AQON) & the only department not to have made an attempt at getting the AQON in on time, or indeed even made a start on answering the QON, is M&Ms department.

Also we all know that this is not an isolated aberration and that normally M&M will blame this on the Minister:

 

With Albanese as Minister that may well have been true - especially when stalling on responding to the PelAir report - but recent evidence has this Minister wanting to be proactive & reformist in light of the recommendations in the Forsyth review which he commissioned. So I call bollocks to that normally trotted out excuse by M&M...

Aside from the inefficiencies/ineptitude on display in Senate Estimates, there is much evidence in the various aviation agencies under M&Ms perview, of non-compliance with Government Policies, inefficiencies with fiscal discipline/red tape reduction, lack of probity/transparency & accountability to the public/taxpayers. 

Examples -

1) Airservices Australia - Senate ASA Performance Inquiry
2) CASA - Lack of timely response to address all of the Forsyth review recommendations, tackling the toxic culture within etc. - Mythical Reform.     
3) ATSB - The Minister issued a new SOE to the bureau back in April - that was also part of a response to the Forsyth report - & despite being finally published on the ATSB website, the commissioners & executive management are still yet to respond in the 'Statement of Intent' - SMH    


MTF...you bet P2