Again a little research:
Senator McLUCAS [To ATSB] —I am quite sure you would have seen Mr Byron’s press release of 4 April, following the report, in which he says, ‘I am unable to accept the conclusion in the ATSB report that CASA contributed to factors that caused the accident.’
In your report you make a number of recommendations to CASA to change a range of practices that they undertake. Given Mr Byron’s view that essentially he disputes those findings, I am concerned as to how you ensure that those recommendations are followed through.
I note you will monitor a number of them.
But I do not want the situation happening again where, as in 2001, you make a recommendation to CASA which they do not act on and as a result we had this tragedy that could have been avoided. I am sorry, that is a very long question but I think you know what I mean.
Mr Bills [ATSB]—Of course we do not want it to happen again either. Because of the time we spent on the report and the evidence we marshalled, we believe we were fair in our conclusions.
But Mr Byron is a free agent.
Our recommendations are not binding, and for a good reason: like other investigators around the world, if our recommendations were binding then we would be the regulator.
Anyone care to answer???