Carmody walks the plank

[Dangly Bits]

Well Carmody called "Time" this afternoon.

I think it may be time for a very big broom! Mike Smith where are you now?

[Cloudee]

https://www.australianflying.com.au/latest/carmody-to-leave-casa-at-year-endCivil Aviation Safety Authority CEO and Director of Aviation Safety (DAS) Shane Carmody will leave the regulator at the end of 2020.CASA Chairman Tony Mathews confirmed today that Carmody would retire four years after he was appointed to the role.

"The Board is very pleased with what Mr Carmody has achieved during his time as CEO/DAS, particularly the resolution of CASA’s long standing Regulatory Reform Program and much improved stakeholder confidence in CASA as a safety regulator," Mathews said.

"This Board is confident that CASA is on a firm footing for the future.

"To allow time for a replacement to be found, Mr Carmody will remain as CEO/DAS until the end of the year."

Carmody was appointed to the role as Acting DAS in October 2016 after the sudden departure of Mark Skidmore. He was confirmed in the role permanently in June the following year. Carmody is a career public servant and has had a long career in public service including in defence security intelligence, veterans affairs and a three-year stint as CASA Deputy DAS to Bruce Byron in 2006-9.

During his time as DAS, Carmody oversaw the end of the epic aviation safety regulation reform program, the implementation of the Basic Class 2 medical and the establishment of the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP).

[Lead Balloon]

Carmody “walks the plank”?

I think you mean “transitions to the comfort of a six-figure taxpayer-funded pension, supplemented by the occasional inquiry appointment.“

The only important question is: Who is Mick from the Wagga office going to appoint as Carmody’s replacement?

[mindsneak]

Carmody “walks the plank”?

I think you mean “transitions to the comfort of a six-figure taxpayer-funded pension, supplemented by the occasional inquiry appointment.“

The only important question is: Who is Mick from the Wagga office going to appoint as Carmody’s replacement?

I have confidence that whoever he chooses, it will be the right decision. I have no doubt some people will disagree with me and that is fine but I actually have a lot of respect for Michael McCormack and think he is going to do a lot of good for the aviation industry in the long run!

[Checklist Charlie]

I have confidence that whoever he chooses, it will be the right decision. I have no doubt some people will disagree with me and that is fine but I actually have a lot of respect for Michael McCormack and think he is going to do a lot of good for the aviation industry in the long run!

Good grief, I don't believe I just read that.

CC

[Bodie1]

I actually have a lot of respect for Michael McCormack and think he is going to do a lot of good for the aviation industry in the long run!

You can't be serious?

[Torres]

I have confidence that whoever he chooses, it will be the right decision. I have no doubt some people will disagree with me and that is fine but I actually have a lot of respect for Michael McCormack and think he is going to do a lot of good for the aviation industry in the long run!

Love the comedian! :} :}

McCormack is so good he makes Anderson look smart! :}

Now, back to the real world..........

[Vag277]

Why don't the experts on here apply?

[Lead Balloon]

Still drinkin’ the CASA Koolaide, Vag? We’re all hoping you’ll apply!

[mindsneak]

You can't be serious?
Maybe I am just a little bit nieve because I am at the start of my career in aviation but I just believe in giving everyone a chance to prove themselves that's all. Politicians are humans like everyone else, sometimes they get it right and sometimes they get it wrong.

Shane Carmody was first appointed in June 2017 when Darren Chester was the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Whereas McCormack has only been Minister for Infrastructure and Transport since 2018 so I am assuming that until now he is yet to be involved in any process regarding the appointment of a new Director of Aviation Safety/CEO of CASA.

Besides from what I have been able to tell from the press release we actually don't know the real reasons why Shane Carmody has decided to leave his current position at this point. I assume that he is very happy with what he has achieved so far at CASA and feels for whatever reason he may have that now is the right time for someone else to take over the reigns who can lead CASA to more longer term regulatory reform.

I am just speculating of course and this is all just my personal opinion.

[Sunfish]

Mindsneak, I suspect that Carmody has realised that he is unable to manage CASA in the sense that he has no aviation experience himself. Such an idea - that relevant experience is required of the thing you wish to manage, is regarded as outmoded by the purveyors of business courses and it is unfortunately not true.
’
Carmody would not know when people were talking bull**** to him when it related to aviation and that would have worn him down.

There is also the fact that the previous occupant, Skidmore, didn’t last either.

The departure suggests that maybe the alleged “iron ring” of immovable middle management is not a myth.

[No Idea Either]

I vote LKH for president.........the Minister for Obfuscation/ Aviation/ Rex would surely have no problems with him....

[mindsneak]

Mindsneak, I suspect that Carmody has realised that he is unable to manage CASA in the sense that he has no aviation experience himself. Such an idea - that relevant experience is required of the thing you wish to manage, is regarded as outmoded by the purveyors of business courses and it is unfortunately not true.
’
Carmody would not know when people were talking bull**** to him when it related to aviation and that would have worn him down.

There is also the fact that the previous occupant, Skidmore, didn’t last either.

The departure suggests that maybe the alleged “iron ring” of immovable middle management is not a myth.

I actually could not agree more with you more Sunfish.

The next replacement should be someone who has actual and extensive relevant experience within the aviation industry. I understand to a degree the logic employed by the people who develop the business courses. However, I do not believe that there are many industries that are as heavily regulated, technical in nature and important in terms of public safety as aviation. It would make complete sense to me that the next director has relevant experience within aviation so he can effectively manage and communicate with those above and below him at all levels regardless of technical expertise.

I was just trying to make the point earlier that I believe between the board and McCormack's office that this may finally for once be achieved! After all they do say that "the true definition of crazy is doing something over and over again but expecting different results! Maybe it will be third time lucky?

[Lead Balloon]

“Third” time? You’re showing your age, young fella.

Let’s recall who’s had a dabble at the regulatory reform program so far:

Keith
Toller
Byron
McCormick
Skidmore
Carmody
?

I don’t want to think about the money that’s been spent so far. And for what?

[poteroo]

Did I really read 'the resolution of the longstanding regulatory reform program' ??

Can't be so.. Only 600 odd pages in Part 61 and same in its' MOS isn't much of an achievement. Roll on 1000 pages in each. What's a few more pages of patronising, prescriptive legalese telling instructors how to suck eggs? With a legacy like this, any aviation experienced DAS would be sneaking out the backdoor at 16:59 on Friday.

[Lead Balloon]

It is Orwellian. An incomplete dog’s breakfast is described as the resolution of the longstanding regulatory reform program. These people have no shame.

[Bodie1]

Maybe I am just a little bit nieve because I am at the start of my career in aviation but I just believe in giving everyone a chance to prove themselves that's all.

Oh he's proven himself alright, to be a bumbling, incompetent fool.

[zanthrus]

I simply ignore everything in Parts 61,141,142 and just fly. CAR 5 should be reinstated and dump this bubble headed nonsense.

[exfocx]

Why would ANYONE here be surprised by the way things have panned out? This is the Australian way, pedantry; Australia is a pedantic country, we take things to the nth degree, we do not allow common sense and I think that is because of our nature. Everything has to be very prescriptive because if something goes wrong it will be argued "well, the rules don't disallow that...." and that will be carried as a just defence and out comes a rewriting of the rules, we are very lawyerly! Notice when our pollies rip off their allowances and when caught the catchcry response is that the rules aren't clear enough "The rules don't say I can't fly to my mates party at taxpayers expense after only attending a "party meeting" in the same city for all of 5 minutes".

Intent never gets an airing, the response is always "but, that isn't what it says!". People look for workarounds and the response is more and more rule writing.

Lawyers love this approach, with a prescriptive approach you can find a way around whatever is in your way.

[Section28- BE]

I vote LKH for president.........the Minister for Obfuscation/ Aviation/ Rex would surely have no problems with him....

If only there was an aviation Lobbyist a tad 'Sharper' than the rest- to campaign that for you........, hmmmm :rolleyes::rolleyes::cool:.

rgds
S28

[thorn bird]

A novel idea, disband CAsA and subcontract aviation oversight to the FAA.

Save the country a fortune, the industry might just survive and be safer as well.

[VH-MLE]

Lead Baloon - you omitted Smith in your list...

[Lead Balloon]

Nobody named Smith has ever been the Director of Aviation Safety at CASA.

You’re probably confusing the roles of DAS with the (practically powerless) role of Chairman.

[VH-MLE]

No, I’m not. I know officially he was never a DAS, but unofficially it’s another story when it came to his beloved Airspace 2000...

[Lead Balloon]

And his unofficial influence has been no greater than any of the other players in the game. It’s just that Dick was and remains naive enough to do it in plain sight.

[Torres]

Maybe I am just a little bit nieve because I am at the start of my career in aviation but I just believe in giving everyone a chance to prove themselves that's all. Politicians are humans like everyone else, sometimes they get it right and sometimes they get it wrong.

Mindsneak, Everyone has a chance to prove themselves and everyone failed. It is a double whammy - In the past 20 to 30 years aviation has had a near continuous line of absolutely dud Ministers: Of the list of DAS that Lead Ballon posted, only two possibly made some valuable contribution and were at least approachable.

The organization is ruled by the Iron Ring which largely renders the DAS impotent.

Dick Smith summed it up fairly well over two decades ago:

“CASA will do all it can to ensure that a person whose licence, certificate or authority is suspended or cancelled has ready access to full external merits review in the AAT. Once before the AAT, CASA will conduct itself as a model litigant" CASA, in a document entitled: "A new approach to enforcement". March, 1989.

"Anyone other than Dick Smith who joins CASA, becomes “infallible." DICK SMITH, August 1998.

"That's the way the system works. They think: "We are powerful and we are totally unaccountable." DICK SMITH, August 1998.

[MelbourneFlyer]

I hear that world-famous aviation and safety expert GT is looking for a new job, surely the role of CASA CEO would be perfect for him.

[Lead Balloon]

I vote LKH for president.........the Minister for Obfuscation/ Aviation/ Rex would surely have no problems with him....
Good thinking!

LKH would bring some ethnic and cultural diversity to the organisation.

[jakessalvage]

The Treasury projections for the drop in fuel tax revenue make for interesting reading. Contractors will need to go, cheaper pot plants will need to be found, small cars instead of SUV's, Carmody hasn't got the fortitude or support for a redesign. Imagine having to restructure into a responsive organisation that actually listened and responded positively to an industry that values aviation.

[Sunfish]

Jake, think of it as a great opportunity to revitalise Australian aviation by adopting FAA regulations. glass half full.

[Seabreeze]

Is Carmody's departure unrelated to Glen Buckley's legal actions??

[jakessalvage]

Jake, think of it as a great opportunity to revitalise Australian aviation by adopting FAA regulations. glass half full.

You won't get any argument from me, unfortunately CAsA has a track record for adopting other NAA rules, ADs etc and then Aus r@#ting them. Changing out Carmody won't change that.

[Allan L]

Quote:
PUBLIC SERVICE MEDAL (PSM)
Mr Shane Patrick CARMODY, Yarralumla ACT 2600
For outstanding public service to modernising air safety regulations and drone pilot
licencing.
Mr Shane Carmody's 30 year public service career has encompassed senior business
management, policy and regulatory roles in the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and
the departments of Defence, Finance, Veterans' Affairs, and Infrastructure.

He has directly contributed to air safety, revitalising CASA as a safety regulator. He has
significantly improved the Authority's performance and ability to respond to rapid technological
changes and support the economic challenges currently facing the airline industry.

Under his guidance and leadership, he has driven CASA to deliver significant reforms for the
aviation industry, starting with the completion of a long standing project to modernise air
safety regulations. This has led to rebuilding of industry confidence in the regulator. He has
championed the digitisation of services including the quick processing of Remote Pilot
Licences which, during the 2019-20 bushfires, directly enabled drone pilots to be trained,
licenced and operational on a fire front within days.

[Paragraph377]

Quote:
PUBLIC SERVICE MEDAL (PSM)
Mr Shane Patrick CARMODY, Yarralumla ACT 2600
For outstanding public service to modernising air safety regulations and drone pilot
licencing.
Mr Shane Carmody's 30 year public service career has encompassed senior business
management, policy and regulatory roles in the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and
the departments of Defence, Finance, Veterans' Affairs, and Infrastructure.

He has directly contributed to air safety, revitalising CASA as a safety regulator. He has
significantly improved the Authority's performance and ability to respond to rapid technological
changes and support the economic challenges currently facing the airline industry.

Under his guidance and leadership, he has driven CASA to deliver significant reforms for the
aviation industry, starting with the completion of a long standing project to modernise air
safety regulations. This has led to rebuilding of industry confidence in the regulator. He has
championed the digitisation of services including the quick processing of Remote Pilot
Licences which, during the 2019-20 bushfires, directly enabled drone pilots to be trained,
licenced and operational on a fire front within days.
What a load of f..king sh.t. A disgrace.

[compressor stall]

I always thought the honours list was for outstanding contribution to our life and society, going above and beyond the norm, not just for doing your f###ing job.

And that's aimed at more than one in the list this year.

[chimbu warrior]

I always thought the honours list was for outstanding contribution to our life and society

More often it is about your outstanding contribution to which ever political party is in power, or for making the minister look good.

[Paragraph377]

I always thought the honours list was for outstanding contribution to our life and society, going above and beyond the norm, not just for doing your f###ing job.

And that's aimed at more than one in the list this year.

They reward 30 and 40 year career bureaucrats, lazy good for nothing incompetents who have never had the balls to work in a real job, who have presided over one screwup after another, with medals and certificates. It’s a sham, it’s arrogant and it’s amoral. Pathetic Governments continually rewarding and elevating these pathetic assholes does nothing for the real industry, and these morons contribute nothing. Absolutely nothing.

[AerialPerspective]

What a load of f..king sh.t. A disgrace.

Put it in the same category as the gong awarded to a former CEO of the second largest airline who ran it into the ground to the point where it went into administration - he got his for 'services to aviation'. Also a bloody joke.

[AerialPerspective]

More often it is about your outstanding contribution to which ever political party is in power, or for making the minister look good.

I agree - just watched an old Yes Minister episode the other day where Humphrey was not keen at all to attend a meeting with Hacker, to which Hacker commented "KBE" eliciting an immediate recitation of all the reasons why Humphy should attend.... LOL

[AerialPerspective]

They reward 30 and 40 year career bureaucrats, lazy good for nothing incompetents who have never had the balls to work in a real job, who have presided over one screwup after another, with medals and certificates. It’s a sham, it’s arrogant and it’s amoral. Pathetic Governments continually rewarding and elevating these pathetic assholes does nothing for the real industry, and these morons contribute nothing. Absolutely nothing.

There used to be some people in the public service who had experience and knew what they were doing in the context of their area of administrative expertise (I would cite one John Menadue who admittedly had a combination of private sector and public sector experience), but they are all long gone, made redundant so successive LNP governments could effectively privatise everything via 'consultants' which are usually the low-altitude flyers from the former PS ranks. This is why despite millions of dollars, the NBN is garbage, the vaccine roll out is a disgrace, they couldn't roll out a yoga mat and things like the disastrous 2016 census occur - some of these things the country used to be good at but no longer. Those who remained in many respects and prospered were those who clung on because they knew they couldn't get jobs elsewhere.

Not that it's the sort of thing they would do but can you imagine if the government of today tried to launch something like Medicare....... half the cards wouldn't work, the system would crash, Doctors wouldn't have advanced information about how it worked and they'd institute a robodebt scam to try and bully people who'd paid their bills out of money they don't owe.

[Anti Skid On]

A novel idea, disband CAsA and subcontract aviation oversight to the FAA.

Save the country a fortune, the industry might just survive and be safer as well.
The same FAA that allowed Boeing to self inspect the Max? That would be like turkey's voting for Christmas

[machtuk]

There used to be some people in the public service who had experience and knew what they were doing in the context of their area of administrative expertise (I would cite one John Menadue who admittedly had a combination of private sector and public sector experience), but they are all long gone, made redundant so successive LNP governments could effectively privatise everything via 'consultants' which are usually the low-altitude flyers from the former PS ranks. This is why despite millions of dollars, the NBN is garbage, the vaccine roll out is a disgrace, they couldn't roll out a yoga mat and things like the disastrous 2016 census occur - some of these things the country used to be good at but no longer. Those who remained in many respects and prospered were those who clung on because they knew they couldn't get jobs elsewhere.


Not that it's the sort of thing they would do but can you imagine if the government of today tried to launch something like Medicare....... half the cards wouldn't work, the system would crash, Doctors wouldn't have advanced information about how it worked and they'd institute a robodebt scam to try and bully people who'd paid their bills out of money they don't owe.


well said AP-) Australia these days can be summed up in a few words.......a 3rd world nation with a 1st world corrupt facade!

[Lead Balloon]

Folks outside ‘the bubble’ will have understandable difficulty in understanding that a mere PSM speaks volumes of the government’s assessment of the value of Mr Carmody’s contribution. Public servants were awarded PSMs for not finding MH370, because of their untiring efforts in organising other people to look for it, unsuccessfully, at the taxpayer’s expense.

It’s the public service equivalent of a Tenderfoot Badge in Scouts.

Mr Carmody’s primary ‘value’ to the government was his shameless claim, or at least his willingness not to refute the assertion, that he ‘completed’ the aviation regulatory reform program.

Although the regulatory reform program has effectively been abandoned while leaving a self-licking ice cream of impenetrable complexity in its wake, governments can now say it’s been ‘completed’.

[cattletruck]

According to this year's Queen's honour list, real-estate agents are also getting gongs... self-licking ice-cream indeed.

[aroa]

PSM for Carmody. Please remove the P for Public. Us aviation Joe Publics ain’t had the service we need at all.
We just got a serve of more of the same.

An SSM would be more appropriate.

Ahhggg...Yrrrrkkkk. Another bucket please.

[Paragraph377]

I just hope Mr Carmody had an ‘ear tuck’ operation before the award ceremony. Placing a ribbon medal over his head and having it not get caught up in his giant ears is an almost impossible feat. They would have had to have done a risk assessment first. You know, safety and all that stuff. Anyway, he still qualifies for the ‘Aviation Asshole 2020/21 Award’ so that will be another notch in his pathetic belt.

[sagan]

Been dealing with CAsA for many years.
It is more a dysfunctional mess now than I can remember with the lowest morale of staff (that I talk to).

[glenb]

Been dealing with CAsA for many years.
It is more a dysfunctional mess now than I can remember with the lowest morale of staff (that I talk to).
The CASA culture.

The vast majority in CASA from my own personal experience are well intentioned and professional, and you can’t ask for much more than that.

No organisation will work if you can’t get the staff sharing the vision of the management.

Uniquely for CASA they have a problem where the current leadership will never get the staff to share the vision, because the staff are well intentioned and professional.

They choose not to share the vision, and that’s indicated in the staff survey

[Paragraph377]

The CASA culture.

The vast majority in CASA from my own personal experience are well intentioned and professional, and you can’t ask for much more than that.

No organisation will work if you can’t get the staff sharing the vision of the management.

Uniquely for CASA they have a problem where the current leadership will never get the staff to share the vision, because the staff are well intentioned and professional.

They choose not to share the vision, and that’s indicated in the staff survey

The main problem with CASA, or dare I say the root cause of CASA’s issues is Aleck. It’s been that way for 3 decades. The one constant feature through 30 years of issues, Aleck. Of course, the Government really don’t care, because if they did he would’ve been gone a long long time ago. When you see wankers like Carmody rewarded by the Queen for decades of incompetence you soon see that there is no hope in reforming the ‘R’egulator. When it comes to reform nobody cares. Nobody wants to. Nobody knows how to. Nobody will.

Who knows, maybe Aleck is of the same ilk as Scotty from Marketing and he is into faith healing and he actually believes his legal hands are miraculously reforming the ‘R’egulator? He certainly speaks in tongues, sprouting legal wankery and Rhode Island language at every opportunity. It’s all the same, absolute manure.

[Duck Pilot]

Here you go Para, https://www.casa.gov.au/news-article/join-casa-team

Great opportunity for you to get into Furzer St and revolutionise CASA.

Now how long will it take to get a response? 😀😀😀😀

[Paragraph377]

Here you go Para, https://www.casa.gov.au/news-article/join-casa-team

Great opportunity for you to get into Furzer St and revolutionise CASA.

Now how long will it take to get a response? 😀😀😀😀
Thanks for providing me with a link to something I have no interest in, Quack Pilot. Should I decide to come out of retirement and ask to join the CASA team and embark on a revitalisation program, I will be sure to ask you for advice on how to go about this.