Sarcs,
Although the concept of what Senator X suggests is in itself most disturbing, it would appear from the evidence presented thus far that this is effectively what is already happening and the bureau is no longer a fully independent transport investigator. Perhaps this is the underlying point that Senator X is making in asking this question??
I reckon there is a big gap between asking a satirical "elephant in the room" question and actually proposing a course of action.
If you go back to the Report of the Senate Rural Affairs and Transport References Committee into Pilot training and airline safety; and Consideration of the Transport Safety Investigation Amendment (Incident Reports) Bill 2010 which was published in June 2011, you will see that Senator X was about protecting reporters from adverse action by providing whistleblowers protections consistent with the Just Culture principles. Nothing has changed in regard to his attitude, but the CASA-dominated ATSB has been shifting the ground all along with no fanfare or real debate.
So how disturbed are most pilots with the concept that reports that they make in the interests of improving safety are slid straight to CASA as unprotected self-incriminating evidence for administrative action?
Stay Alive