The meeting -
The Meeting 03/10/23
For those that have been following this ongoing saga for almost five years now, I was finally able to have the opportunity to meet with the CASA Chair and CEO yesterday at Aviation House in Canberra.
I was advised in the morning that the Board Chair was unwell, and he would participate via a teleconference, which he did.
Many on here had strongly encouraged me to take a lawyer to that meeting. It was sound advice, and I did heed it. I also acknowledge that I heeded it too late. I established contact with one of Australia’s leading lawyers on the relevant topics. It was a matter that he expressed enthusiasm to be involved in. He met with Partners of the firm, and as the firm does work for CASA, the decision was made that he was unable to assist me in this matter. It was too late for me to obtain another lawyer with the relevant expertise at such short notice, so my wife and I attended alone.
We were met by Ms Spences PA who took us upstairs where we met Ms Spence (CASA CEO) and Mr Hanton, the Industry Complaints Commissioner. The Chair, Air Chief Marshall (Retd) Mark Binskin AC via teleconferencing.
With the pleasantries out of the way the Chair opened the meeting.
What my wife and I received was a very sincere acknowledgement. There was an acceptance by CASA, and an apology. I was advised that my matter had been bought to the attention of both the CEO and Board Chair prior to their appointments. I was advised that there had been CASA learning outcomes as a result of my matter, and that it was a significant factor in the restructuring within CASA to ensure more consistent messaging. To me that demonstrated a commitment to “continuous improvement”, and I felt that was a positive.
Both the Chair and CEO were acting with “good intent” and I truly believe that. That is the critical factor that has been absent from the process throughout the last five years, and that was another positive.
I was about to respond when my dear, usually fairly quiet wife interjected, and asked if she could read from a prepared speech. Prior to the meeting she queried if she could say something, and of course I said yes. I thought no more of it, until she came forward at the meeting.
I got a copy of that speech last night, and here it is. My wife is not a native English Speaker, and nor is she a public speaker. She was in a situation that was well outside of her comfort zone.
“There was a man who worked hard to start his business. When he started he looked after Employees and students really well, he was very caring and generous to them, always trying to help. Everyone loved him. He didn’t want to buy luxurious house and car because he didn’t want to use the money the Company made for him and his family, so he could pay employees more money. He is the person always happy to help people.
One day he was told to close his business, he had to tell his wife and family they had to sell the house to keep paying staff. He couldn’t understand why.
He was trying to find the answers, talked to people, sending emails.
He started not to be able to sleep. It affected family badly. One day his wife asked him how we can pay the piles of bills, he started to throw them, screaming, “cant pay this, cant pay this, cant pay this” His daughter was there, she had to walk away late at night and didn’t come back for many hours. She was very upset to see her own Dad struggling. His wife had to ask the oldest son who was 18 years old at that time to pay the bills.
His wife cried that night. His wife knew that the youngest son had old school shoes with holes but didn’t want to tell his Mum because he knew that his parents didn’t have any money at all.
Family was suffering so much. The man started working again outside of flying, and he changed a few jobs.
He was still fighting over his problems, he gets up at 2AM or 3AM in the morning, takes the laptop with him to the park and started typing ( my note. Its not that bad, I actually go to a 24-hour pancake Parlor and sip lattes)
He hasn’t slept more than 4 hours a night for 5 years, and his wife ha\s been working 55 hours a week during the day and doing two overnight shifts a week for years.
The man was exhausted with this issue. He was on the way home from work, he saw lots of nice houses that people own, doing their gardening, and walking dogs. It became too much the enormous loss. He stopped the car and started taking all his sleeping pills. He had enough.
Please imagine if that man was your husband, son, brother, father or friend.
All I want from this meeting is you to talk to my husband with respect and treat him like a human being.
My wife delivered that with tears rolling down her cheeks, and trembling. It was a very powerful message, and I do think it set the tone for a productive meeting.
Unfortunately, I’m running out of time, as there are cleaning products to be delivered.
I am currently awaiting correspondence from CASA. I will come back with significantly more detail tomorrow morning hopefully.
To summarise. Very frank admissions on matters of “manner” but not “lawfulness”
Importantly it was made very clear that there would be no opposition to an application for an Act of Grace payment and in fact there would be tacit support of that process.
There is much more that I would like to write, and I will tomorrow.
As a note. Despite the technology so readily available, I did not make any recording of the meeting, and I did not take any notes, so the meeting contents are very much hearsay, and therefore based on my recollection,
Back tomorrow withy more. Cheers.