Good Turnout
I was there. I didn't take notes, but here is my recollection...
There was somewhere between 50 and 100 in attendance. Most guys, overwhelmingly, were from QF, with smaller numbers from Jetstar and a few from Virgin Blue and Tiger. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any from the Regionals and GA...perhaps to do with the fact that no publicity of the meeting was placed in mainstream media.
Not nearly as many as the Sydney meeting but numbers were expected to be lower for several reasons not least of which was the rapidly unfolding IT fiasco at Virgin Blue...
The tone of the meeting was united, defiant and deeply passionate that our profession had to be rescued from this dangerous path.
There was a feeling that the 2 major issues (Off-shoring and 200 hour FOs) had galvanised the industry now to stop the rot in its tracks. Many guys I spoke with said they hadn't seen this sort of unity in more than 20 years.
An identical no-confidence motion in BB was carried unanimously by the group.
Senator Xenophon was spoken of warmly and considered key to the fight.
Cohesion, unity and collective industry focus were mentioned by all speakers...and considered essential to success.
This aspect was particularly highlighted by the Transport Workers Union speaker who assured the audience that the rest of our aviation industry colleagues (Baggage handlers, FAs, Refuellers, ATCs, Customer Service etc etc) were 100% behind us.
The meeting was advised that management had closed the door on further discussions and so the course ahead meant publicity campaigns and/or legal challenges. AIPA's legal counsel felt that an effective publicity campaign was the smarter choice.
Further, there was some explanation from a Jetstar pilot regarding the 'September to Remember' campaign. He said that the success of this campaign would not be known until the data for September had been analysed down the track but that he would not be surprised if a lot of efficiencies disappeared as individual pilots ceased going beyond what they were contracted to do.
The legal guy confirmed that doing just 'what you are paid to do, and no more' was acting within the law and could not be seen as an illegal industrial action.
A few free bevvies were had by all after the formal meeting and everyone I spoke to felt that the meeting was a success. It continued the momentum of the Sydney meeting...and there was talk of perhaps another meeting, the next one in BrisVegas.
PG