After that little matter 19 years ago, and suddenly out of a job, I looked at a Govt job in CBR relating to Aircraft accidents and incidents. (only because I had four little mouths to feed) what I found was a RAAF old boys club, tempered with ex crop duster pilots who were sick of dodging power lines, and as a suddenly out of work civil line pilot, I was as welcome as a leper out of a colony. Because my brain after years in the airlines, worked in what I thought was a logical, problem solving way, I soon found out I was wrong, very wrong, you have to go by THE SYSTEM. I was a fish out of water, because like you blokes if I have to go to MEL/SYD thats how I go, right? Wrong. In the public service you go via DRW, so to speak. I soon found out they ran their cricket clubs, car clubs, apex clubs, soccer clubs out of the office, and for a confused airline bloke like myself, (having joined TAA at the grand age of 19) and knowing nothing else it was mystifying. I was soon joined by a AN skipper, who was even less popular than I was, and we had adjoining desks and we sat and looked at one another, both pushing papers around, and (sadly hoping for a prang) to get us out of there. Needless to say we both lasted about a month, and headed for OS. What I am trying to say, if you have not already guessed (and things might have changed) but you are dealing with a monster that has a life of its own, makes little sense, (and as I guess most of you are tech crew, and tend to think logically (when sober) you are really pushing it uphill, because the depts have their own little empire building, their own little cultures, and for blokes like yourselves totally mystifying behaviour. For example going in hard on some poor bloke flying a old King Air out of Bogg Creek, that happens to have a busted port nav light, but allowing the Airlines to run their own show, without to much interference, but capable of a much bigger prang than the old King Air. It was a experience that I will never understand, but helps me to cope with dealing with any Govt Dept now. Don't expect to speak to anybody that knows anything, expect to be sent to some other dept, (that don't know either) and get off the phone before you drop kick it thru the window.