Trimming of the roster has become so tight that some groups run a "weather AD" ie. bare bones staff and someone is called in on their day off if the weather forecast looks nasty. Too bad about the weather that's not forecast, the hole in the roster already there that hasn't been able to be filled due staff shortages.
Another issue we face is that for a long time, the "oxygen wasters" in Canberra do not want to support the controllers. A friend of mine who left The Allan Woods Building recently for greener pastures confirmed that ATC's are spoken about with extreme vitriole and are hated by the people who are supposed to be supporting them.
