For the record:
Williamtown is not a training base. It is the primary Operational Fighter base for the RAAF. 'Operational ElPerro' must've missed that nugget of info while he was single-handed taking out 35 Taliban from his o'seas post.
There weren't 'school holidays' for the RAAF Fighter boys in 02... (I know this because my bearcat scanner was going ballistic with their comm!) And I imagine that they won't be taking leave whenever their services might be needed in the future.
Elperro, in my books you're up there with mostlytossas. He says in one spread that WLM ATC can resign for all he cares (and taunts them about their inevitable unemployment), then waxes lyrical about how to boost ATC recruitment to fill the obvious shortage of manpower in that role.
Stop embarrassing yourself with comments about the cost of a hornet vs a civvy jet, clearly that is not the issue, and clearly you know very little about Williamtown.
The biggest safety issue at willytown occurs when someone gets his knickers in a knot for being held for 3 minutes at Nobby's, then goes on to rant and rave over the control freq, drowning out any communications from the aircraft that ATC are trying to separate him from. (Demonstrating to us all the true fundamentals of aviation professionalism and airmanship eh Dick!)
The issue is that CASA dropped the ball, ASA are undermanned and that the poor bastards at WLM have picked it up for them.
Instead, why don't you raise a glass the guys and girls who found out 1 day before they planned to go on leave that they needed to cancel flights home, holiday accommodation etc and break it to the missus/hubby/kids that they would be going nowhere other than work for the next 4 weeks.... Merry Christmas!
If you hear WLM ATC whinge about being deployed to the desert, then tell them to 'harden up', 'you're in the military', 'look at me...I'm soooo operational blah, blah' etc. But when it's to cover for beaurocratic failings, let them vent.