Although there's no excuse if he makes the same mistake again, Dick should be forgiven for being duchessed into believing that being the Chairman of CAA and then CASA involved having any substantial power. I suppose it would have 'felt' that way, while it was politically convenient to pretend to support - or even genuinely support - the changes that were made, and to pat Dick on the back for them (read: line Dick up for blame), but it all goes sour when it affects the political interests of the government of the day (and it worked a treat because lots of people still blame Dick for what did happen or should have happened that didn't).
Flava Saver: I'm listening to the broadcast of the House of Reps as I type. In an amazing coincidence, I've just heard a member of parliament note that Australia's NBN is producing worse outcomes than in the Congo.
Everyone knows that Australia is the only third world aviation country in which you can drink the tap water.
This is not to criticise all of the individuals doing their best (and great job) within the constraints of the air traffic system and resources they have.
CharlieLX: Laying horizontal pieces of tarmac with associated taxiways is an extraordinarily complex task. Especially in islands whose names start with the letter "T". One hopes that an "innovation nation" committed to an "infrastructure revolution" will soon make a major technological breakthrough and figure out how to achieve these seemingly unachievable goals.
I have a dream.
A dream that ...... one day ...... a leader of one of the stultifying mediocrities that presume the name "government" in Australia steps on to the world stage and says:
"We choose to build a runway!"
"Some may ask: Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask: Why climb the highest mountain?"
"We choose to build a runway in this decade, not because it's easy, but because it is hard!"
And once it's built they can get on with the important work of granting monopoly - sorry, 'privileged asset' - rights to millionaires, so that they can milk the citizenry for every spare cent they have.
(It's called profit in return for "taking a risk" people - read your economics textbooks!)
Gives you a warm inner glow, right? Or maybe that's nausea....
Last edited by Lead Balloon; 29th Feb 2016 at 09:36.