Good call Sunfish, interesting reading in that and many recent posts.
I guess the question arises then, where did Qantas get these guys? It's not just Qantas either. Many Australian businesses are still running 1990s rules when it comes to short term bonuses and maintenance being the Devil's work. Why Is It So?
The top 20 Australian companies basically do banking, mining, food and (one) airline. We are an educated, wealthy, resource rich country. Why can't we do anything else? Is it because our crappy boards and senior executives are largely incapable of long term vision when they can skive off with short term bonuses?
Maybe banking, mining and food make such obscene profits with relatively little strategic planning that they will generally do well whatever decisions are made at the top level. Businesses that require a little more group grey matter don't seem to be shining in Australia, and I wonder if that's because our senior exec class are for the most part lousy, at least those who remain on-shore.