Triple X # 76 –"Would love to know more!".
Sen McDonald seems to be a bear on the CASA annual report (see the RAAA for comments on the obscene profit margins); perhaps it's time the ATSB was looked at in a similar light. Some old thoughts:-
Everyone enjoys a good story, well told; it is a deeply entrenched part of human kinds development from its origins. Mostly, human beings relate to a clearly defined entertaining story, the lesson or objective of the story is most apparent and easily understood then.
During some of the darker periods in history, it has not been possible for many authors to tell their story in a clear, concise manner thus the message and lesson must be camouflaged and the informed reader must glean the true meaning by being able to interpret or 'read' the subtext and extract the subtle messaging from under the cover of the outer, defensive layers.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) seems an unlikely candidate for this form delivery; their report with the mundane title 200501977 appears to be the least likely candidate to tell a story which has all the ingredients of a first class thriller. But it has; in spades. Properly read, it provides all the essential elements of a classic; although the purist would decry the lack of a love interest, this is the only element missing.
200501977 contains a modest two hundred and forty six pages which can be skimmed through in about thirty minutes, the readers eyes glazing over somewhere during that period. This is a reader mistake. To properly read the report the reader must first understand the nature of a long running battle between two powerful entities for power, money, influence and kudos. The history of these rival groups is coloured, metaphorically speaking, in blood.
In today's world, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is in the political ascendancy, attracts the media attention, enjoys well filled coffers and basks in the security of public and political confidence. The ATSB is chronically under funded, attracts very little media attention and the general public have only a vague notion that it exists.
And so, the ATSB must be careful to protect it's rice bowl, not rock too many boats and mind it's manners.
How then can the ATSB weave the unpleasant truths about this aviation disaster into the fabric of the public lives, when their very existence is a daily struggle. Their answer is in subtle, cleverly camouflaged writing which, correctly interpreted, inevitably leads the informed reader to the correct answer.
Selah.