I thought I would do a little expose over the next few weeks on some of those who are aligned with CASA or who have influence or are responsible for CASA as a whole, in some form or context.
This 'special series' is not designed so as to disparage individuals, but I am doing this for the benefit of many who PM me asking questions about the power and authority within Fort Fumble.
It us up to
you, the viewer, to form your own conclusions as to whether you think the characters featured in this mini series are in any way linked to the abysmal state of the Regulator.
Dr Allan Hawke was appointed Chair of the Board on 1 July 2009. He has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and Doctor of Philosophy. He joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1974 and rose through the ranks to be Secretary of the Departments of Veteran’s Affairs, Transport and Regional Services, and Defence.
Dr Hawke was appointed as High Commissioner to New Zealand in 2003, and in 2006 was installed as Chancellor of the Australian National University. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to public service Dr Hawke was awarded a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Public Administration in 1998 and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management in 1999. In 2001 he became a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. The Australian Financial Review’s “Boss” Magazine, named him as one of Australia’s top 30 true leaders in its inaugural list in 2001.
In June 2010 Dr Hawke was made a Companion (AC) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for eminent service to public administration, particularly through the formulation and implementation of policy in the areas of transport, defence and education, and to the strengthening of bilateral relations with New Zealand.
Defence Department Head Removed By Government
September 25, 2002
The Secretary of the Defence Department, Dr. Allan Hawke, has been effectively sacked by the Federal Government. It was announced yesterday that Dr. Hawke's contract would not be renewed when it expires next month. The current Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Ric Smith, will take over in November.
The change follows a significant shake-up of Defence Department chiefs last May. The announcement came as a surprise within the federal bureaucracy. It is seen as reflecting two concerns:
• That Dr. Hawke has failed to implement reforms to the Defense Department.
• Deteriorating relationships with the Defence Minister, Senator Robert Hill, arising out of the children overboard issue.
Secretaries are the highest-ranking public servants in government departments. Once referred to as "permanent heads", they are now appointed on contracts, usually for 3 years. Hawke was appointed in 1999, following the acrimonious removal of Paul Barratt by the previous Minister, John Moore.
by Lincoln Wright
Dr Hawke's removal as Secretary is seen by insiders as a direct result of a perception at senior Government levels that he had failed to deliver necessary reforms at Defence, especially to the procurement process. Defence's financial management system is also understood to be in a shambles and the subject of serious review by the Auditor General.
Dr Hawke had also been thought to be having trouble getting on with Robert Hill, Minister for Defence, since the last election.
Dr Hawke, a protégé of a former Defence Secretary, Tony Ayers, was Secretary of Veterans Affairs and later Transport and Regional Services before being sent to Defence. A highly regarded manager and policy analyst, he has been spoken of as a future Secretary of Prime Minister and Cabinet, though much of his expertise has been in Defence.
Opposition Defence spokesman Chris Evans congratulated Mr Smith on his appointment last night, but added Dr Hawke's removal was a surprise decision given the incomplete reform agenda at Defence.
"At a time of unparalleled operational activity, Defence continues to lack the critical political and organisational support to allow them to do their job as effectively as possible," Senator Evans said.
Dr Hawke began his career as Defence Secretary with a now-famous speech outlining Defence's problems, what he called a "due diligence" summary detailing the department's executive problems.
Apart from establishing the new Defence Materiel Organisation, Dr Hawke oversaw the 2000 Defence White Paper, the border protection operation last year and the latest deployment of Special Forces.
But persistent problems with acquisitions and expensive cost blowouts have been a major concern in senior Government circles. Along with how Defence manages its budget, they were apparently decisive in his removal.
In particular, senior Government figures had been unimpressed by Dr Hawke's handling of intractable problems on everything from - to name just a few - the Collins Class submarine, the Seasprite helicopter, the Anzac Ship Project and the Bushmaster Infantry vehicle.
Recently, the Government officially conceded, to its political embarrassment, that 16 major Defence capital projects were $5.1 billion over budget and, in some cases, years overdue.
A senior political insider said last night that Dr Hawke had made progress on procurement and financial management. "In fairness to him, it's a bloody difficult job." But the source went on to say there was a perception that when a crisis hit, people would often say, "Where's Allan?"
Although the ultimate decision not to re-appoint Dr Hawke as Secretary was made by Mr Howard, it had also been rumoured that there were personal problems between him and Defence Minister Robert Hill.
In July 1999, the then Defence Minister John Moore fired his Department head Paul Barratt in controversial circumstances, one of which was said to be personal problems with Mr Barratt.
The Barratt case was a cause célèbre in bureaucratic circles, involving a Federal Court court injunction against the sacking and an embarrassing unfair dismissal case.
Dr Hawke's replacement at the head of Defence had been rumoured for some time, as had Mr Smith's possible appointment. Mr Smith has a strong background as a strategist at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but it is expected the Government wants reform of procurement and financial management.
Dr Hawke's three-year contract was due to end in October.
Mr Smith, who served at Defence as the Deputy Secretary for Strategy and Intelligence in 1994-95, will take up his new job on November 11 with a three-year contract.
Dr Hawke is expected to take some leave and then be posted overseas
My bolding. Why? Why not!
So, would he be the right man for this AVIATION job?