It would have been an ideal opportunity to rid themselves of the deadwood that maintains a stranglehold on the operational management.
Puma, You are probably right, but the government couldn't risk the massive fallout that would have come with it, especially since they could be held up as one of the major contributors to what happened.
It was still a tragedy (for some people literally) to see the demise of an Australian icon.
Hoss, Couldn't agree more, especially when it happened due underhand actions.