Bea-cur has style, all the waffle, weasel words and flummery of 'statistics' except the ones that really matter – abandoned take off and 'long' long landing numbers. You see a fair few of those about the place and 'tis true no real harm has been done. Could it be, perhaps, that the existing runways and stop or clearways are long enough to cope with a reject; or, a long series of bounces; or, even the odd EFATO.
Because if they are now 'too long' and may be safely shortened to minimum required, then his position makes a nonsense of 'widening' runways for safety sake. Clearly as they can be made as short as possible, then they should also be made as narrow as statistically possible, in direct proportion to their length. That'll build another nursing home and bus depot then. Although a golf course at DER would be handy, on occasion. The odd lightly lobbing onto the 14th fairway will only make a 20 second filler on the 1800 news; but a King-air, fully fuelled parked in a top floor window at a close by nursing home just may get a little more attention. Only need it to nearly happen; just once and all the wriggle room in the world won't save the minuscule; or his government. Won't bother 'the money', not one iota; that'll be safely tucked up in the Caymans, drinking Mochitos and eying the lovelies on the beach.
No, no, this is not a job for the bantam weight AAT. Hints of conflicted interests, whispers of manipulated definitions, safety authorities rumoured to be playing at silly buggers with 'the numbers', Pony pooh by the cartload delivered express by those shadowy figures purported to have 'vested interests' etc. etc. Perhaps the AG backed up by the AFP, even the ANO could sort it all out for the Commonwealth: ICAC for NSW Bankstown, Hoxton and Camden; now wouldn't that be fun.
What was it Nick Xenophon said, something like how he couldn't see how 'Dolan's position could be tenable'. Perhaps, now the answer to that question is emerging from shadow; maybe the murky Machiavellian department could be persuaded to fill in the gaps, as it were – in parliament – under oath. That also could be fun.
Aye well. It's a funny old world – "Now Bloggs, the accepted spell for becoming airborne is Wingardium Leviosa; works like a charm, just don't disturb the penthouse pets on climb out; got it?" – "Good". "All together now, Wingardium Leviosa, up up and away".
Training module – here.