Here's the email:
Yesterday Alan Joyce and I again appeared before a hearing in the ongoing Senate Inquiry into Pilot Training and Airline Safety. The Jetstar delegation included our Chief Pilot, Captain Mark Rindfleish and Head of Safety, Mark Rossiter.
Following further media reports and comments made by the Qantas Pilot Union and Senator Xenophon following yesterday’s hearing in Canberra, I also subsequently briefed the media to defend Jetstar pilots, our safety standards and culture.
Jetstar and the broader Qantas Group have participated openly and willingly in the Senate Inquiry. In our shared interest of ensuring that Australia has and continues to maintain the highest levels of aviation safety, we have addressed every issue presented to us on its merits and have done so publically. No other airline group has taken such a thorough approach.
We are therefore very disappointed that our spirit of cooperation and openness has not been shared, and that some parties are continuing to use the platform of the Inquiry to sensationalise their own agendas outside the realm of safety.
Pilot email
During the hearing, Senator Xenophon introduced into proceedings an unattributed email, sent by a Pilot in the Perth base to other Perth pilots. Rather than give Jetstar or the Pilot in question a chance to respond to the allegations, the Senator and the Qantas Pilot Union then staged a media conference claiming this was an example of bullying and demonstrated a fear of reporting among our pilots.
Having now read the email I find it hard to reconcile the email with a fear of speaking out, as the language is direct and open.
This is not the first occasion in the Inquiry where unsubstantiated assertions have been shown to be without foundation. Collectively these allegations have done material damage to the hard-earned reputation of Jetstar and the broader Qantas Group, and they unnecessarily undermine public confidence in Australia’s aviation safety standards.
I am keen to hear from any of you if you believe there is a culture of fear and bullying at Jetstar. I want to assure you that bullying is something we absolutely do not tolerate at Jetstar.
Safety and Fatigue
Throughout this Inquiry matters pertaining to fatigue have been raised.
Jetstar has the same high standards of fatigue management as the rest of the Qantas Group and we take Pilot fatigue very seriously.
Over the last few years, we have made considerable investments in our fatigue management system, including recruiting new experts in this area, building new systems and establishing processes that to help us learn and improve through the various avenues of feedback. As with most areas of the business, we are continuing to invest and build this system, in accordance with a global best practice risk management approach.
Recently, we have made three changes directly as a result of our fatigue management system that have come at cost, but which show that safety is always our first priority. These are:
Recently moving overnight crewing in Tokyo to Osaka only, as a result of continuing disruptions to rest
Specific changes to our South East Queensland base operation (covering BNE/OOL) last year
Changes to the Darwin-Singapore pattern decided in February this year and currently being implemented.
Fatigue management is a dual responsibility. The company has a responsibility to ensure that we provide adequate opportunities to rest. Our crews have a responsibility to ensure they are fit for duty. If any crew member is fatigued they should not be flying and they have a responsibility to inform us if they are fatigued. This has always been our approach.
Reporting any concerns
Jetstar has a very open reporting culture and we receive many thousands of safety reports every year. Jetstar has the highest reporting levels in the Qantas Group.
It has been suggested on a number of occasions that Jetstar employees are afraid to report safety matters, fearing retribution. No evidence has been supplied to support this claim. No Jetstar employee has ever lost their job in such circumstances.
Should any of you have concerns about safety or fatigue management, there are formal processes in place to report internally within Jetstar, as well as through the independent safety regulator. We all have a legal and moral obligation to table any safety related concerns to all the relevant bodies – Jetstar Safety team, Qantas Group whistleblower, ATSB or CASA.
Those that withhold safety information (as AIPA Representative Woodward purported to do by tabling new concerns in relation to the Darwin windshear event) are jeopardising safety and in addition are breaking the law.
If you have any concerns about both the internal and external (ATSB and CASA) avenues open to you, I want to hear about them.
Qantas Pilot Union (AIPA)
I believe many of you would be as concerned and disappointed as I am that the union and its Representative, both directly within the Inquiry, and in its public commentary, have continually used this forum to discredit Jetstar and its pilots with mis-information. This mis-information includes claims about the Darwin windshear event and yesterday’s bullying claims.
One of the operating pilots on the Darwin flight has directly refuted Representative Woodward’s version of events. AIPA Representative Woodward’s claims are mis-information and misrepresentation that damage our airline and the pilots involved in the incident.
Let’s be clear – I have no concerns with legitimate union activities. What concerns me is that AIPA’s approach seeks to damage Jetstar and the careers of individual Pilots who work for us.
I would hope that AIPA Representative Woodward will think twice in the future before he misleads the public and misrepresents pilots that he purports to represent.
The union has made it very clear that they are prepared to create and then abuse public safety concerns as a means to discredit the Company’s standards and management in pursuit of their industrial objectives. Now that Jetstar is successful, they want to access jobs and promotions ahead of everyone in Jetstar who has helped to create our success.