Senate Inquiry into CASA.

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

Having dealt with Mr Byron, I would say he's executed his job pretty well, with the tools he was given.

Government has changed many thing for the worse, the most notable of all these is the "user pays system", so Byron picked up the ball he was given and ran with it as best he could ( even though there were various malignant cultures with the organisation, under funded, still with the same ****ty base legislation ).

I believe Mr Sandilands is just another douche bag trying to make a name for himself by publishing more of the fanatical misinformation to scare the public into reading his writings, IMHO there is nothing intelligent in his writings.

Do we remember why the CASA board was disbanded, because it was the opinion of the government of the time that it was a failure, why else would they disband it ?.

Whilst I am far from an expert, all this humbug about rewriting the legilsation IMHO is a complete waste of time and money, we do not need to re-invent the wheel, the base legilsation is quite recoverable, it just need to be corrected, to fix the problems that many here are quite aware of.

MOS ( manual of standards ) - we need correction of these documents ( if not a complete removal of ), these documents often vary considerably from the legislated requirements, add to this equation an officious weaner that happens to slipped through the "HR" process as an FOI or AWI and you have a very unhappy region, refer the noting of the FNQ region by the Senate.

On that note, in most part I thought the FNQ culture had changed considerably for the better from say, 2003 ?.

I do not care if people disagree, but I believe Byron did a reasonable job, Government gave him two slices of bread and a turd, and they are suprised they are not having Roast Lamb for dinner ?.

[Torres]

So if Byron is so capable and was "set up", who is responsible for five years and $100 million of regulatory reform going no-where???

After all, in February 2005 he stated:

I do not see this delaying the overall program excessively. We have an action item to develop a plan to forward to the minister about when we plan to have them to the minister, and I assume that plan would be done in the next couple of months.

Obviously his plan to have a plan was not well planned??

The buck - infact, far too many bucks - stopped with Byron, who failed to achieve. A poor taxpayer investment!

[T28D]

Torres 100% correct, we all thought Toller was bad, Byron raised incompetence to a new level, unprecedented even in the public service.

[Torres]

The regulatory reform fiasco is merely one example of a Director setting low CASA standards, which he failed to achieve. The Senate Report is a litany of management failures for which the Minister must accept responsibility.

"...raised incompetence to a new level..." I would have thought "..hit rock bottom and continued to dig..." would be a more appropriate expression.

But, primary responsible for the CASA train smash is vested in a succession of incompetent Ministers. When will Government appoint a competent Administrator to manage CASA, rather than semi retired airline or air force pilots???? It would also help if the Administrator lived in Canberra and at least went to work each day.

[T28D]

Raised to a new level, or hit rock bottom, really both saying the same thing.

Byron presided as a Board member and then as CEO over one of the most disgraceful exhibitions of a Regulator out of control allowing its staff aided and abetted by internal legal support to act in absolute disdain for established legal principles as espoused by the Government Policy of being a model litigant.

Byron's stewardship goes beyond the period as CEO when he was the "Safety" expert in the board structure and ulimately allowed such disasters as Lockhart River whilst off on crusades against legitimte operators who to this day have not had an incident and are collectively (those still in the industry ) 100% in front of the "swiss cheese".

Operating from his home in Melbourne with the occasional appearance at the Castle in Canberra and never to be seen at the "coal face" was always going to be a challenge for a skillful CEO , but it was never viable for a CEO on trainer wheels.

Australia is just really lucky our major carriers as a group have maintained a viable safety mindset and we have not lost a wide body aircraft.

[Shell Management]

I thought Byron's biggest crime was allegedly to try to root out all the has-been ex airline/airforce pilots & engineers from their cozy pre-retirement jobs and replace them with people who understood safety.

[T28D]

If Byron had actually done that, root out the incompetents, CASA would be a different place.

Facts are however , the same faces appear, some on contract, and the Office of Legal Counsel is still the same bunch despite its leader getting his marching orders.

The machinations of the working bureacracy stifle any real change, CASA needs a real leader who understands the concept of unbundling bureacratic coverup and is prepared to make sweeping changes and bring in new "blood" who can understand how to apply effective regulation to a diverse and geographically spread Industry.

Public Safety must be the primary focus of the regulator, not nit picking audits on Engineers paper work, a great change would be to monitor the actual work being done, and maybe accept paperwork stained by oil from working hands.

Listen to the pilots and engineers who fly and maintain the fleet daily, apply the general wisdom and regulate for the safest outcome.

Remove the Office of Legal Counsel and concentrate legal work with Attourney Generals Dept and the Government Solicitor.

[Casper]

I thought Byron's biggest crime was allegedly to try to root out all the has-been ex airline/airforce pilots & engineers from their cozy pre-retirement jobs and replace them with people who understood safety.
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He has replaced all the old fashioned regulators with "touchy feely safety specialists" who have no experience from the University of Life.

[xinhua2]

North Queensland Office
2.77 The committee was concerned to hear evidence from a number of operators expressing concern about CASA staff forging unduly close relationships with some members of the industry and pursuing personal agendas against others.81 In particular,the committee received evidence which was openly critical of CASA’s North Queensland office. Witnesses before the committee told the committee of the North Queensland office’s reputation for ’turning a blind eye to the cowboys who operate up there and also some pretty ordinary behaviour of the offices themselves.’ 82
2.78 While the committee received very little first hand evidence regarding the North Queensland office, the committee was concerned that there appears to be a widely held perception that staff in CASA’s North Queensland office do not deal with all members of the industry fairly and do not apply regulations consistently.
2.79 The committee was keen to discuss this perception with CASA and
understand the steps being taken to address it. Mr Byron told the committee that there have been a number of reviews and investigations of the North Queensland office. He said:

------------“evidence” “concern” “persuing personal agendas” “evidence” “critical of North Queensland office” “witnesses” “turning a blind eye” “cowboys” “ordinary behaviour” ”while the committee received very little first hand evidence” ”concerned” “perception” “office does not deal with all members of the industry fairly” “do not apply regulations consistently” “number of reviews” “perception” ----------

Very little first hand evidence? How much does the committee need to establish there is entrenched systemic abuses of power as summed up in the text? Exactly what do you have to do to get the full force of the law brought down upon you for criminal perversion?

Save for those few who do the right thing, the whole organization is flyblown, cancerous, brain dead and needs a complete purge, not reviews.

[clapton]

Torres

But, primary responsible for the CASA train smash is vested in a succession of incompetent Ministers. When will Government appoint a competent Administrator to manage CASA, rather than semi retired airline or air force pilots???? It would also help if the Administrator lived in Canberra and at least went to work each day.

Well said.

Problem is that Albanses is now just as bad.

The fact that he re-appointed Taylor for 5 years shows how incompetent he is and can't see (or doesn't care) that Taylor must ulimately also share total blame for Byron's failings because the Secretary is meant to properly oversee the operations and policies dreamt up by Byron (which is why the Act was changed in 2003 to give the Secretary proper powers of oversight). Taylor knew exactly what was going on - and what was not going on eg regulatory reform, partnership policy, allowing now to come to work - and stood by and let it all happen. As a reward he gets re-appointed for 5 years. Shows just how out of touch Albanese is - I suspect that he will be just as bad as Anderson. Nothing will change. Regulatory reform will drag on forever - or at least until there is a a major airline accident.

It's a pity, because the Senate inquiry achieved nothing - it was a squandered opportunity. There's no doubt that Albanese and Taylor stepped in to sanitise the final report - hence the intractable delay in its release.

[Torres]

Not one of the Byron supporters attempted to justify over $100 million wasted on regulatory reform during the Byron era, for virtually no outcome! Then there is the litany of systemic failure within CASA during the period 2003 - 2008, identified in the Senate Report.

Anthony Albanese MP, Federal Member for Grayndler, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Leader of the House. Another Clayton's Minister for Transport, in the same mold as his predecessors over the past decade or so!

I wait with great interest to see how transparent the process will be appointing the next Director and the new Board!

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

Torres, whilst i do not disagree with the meaning of your message, if Byron didn't take the post in 2003, who ever it was would have still wasted $100 million on reform.

I do not believe the outcome could have been any different, in many respects the CEO is a ministerial puppet, which then evolves into fall guy.

Torres, perhaps you gave forgotten the spate of "resignations and retirements" in CASA FNQ ~2003, that did not happen by accident.

Considering the tools Byron was given, I believe he did an OK job.

Government is to be blamed for the perception of wasted money and opportunity.

[clapton]

LRT

Considering the tools Byron was given, I believe he did an OK job.

Byron was paid more than the PM to actually achieve results - including the regulatory reform program. Instead, after 5 years he achived nothing except issue meaningless directives that no one could comprehend in an effort to delay making any decisions. His interminable system of committee after committee in order to placate warring factions was just an expedient ploy to avoid taking any hard decisions. While this may have been smart on his part (because it meant that no one would criticise him for not giving them what they wanted) , it demonstated his complete lack of management skills.

And that is the real problem. Byron was appointed to the position without ANY experience in managing a large organisation- and most of his jobs were at junior levels. He had no ability as a CEO and no proper experience or training - forget his military backround - he was just not equipped for the job.

And duirng all this time where was Taylor who was meant to be overseeing the Regulatory reform program. Obviously in bed with Byron instead of ensuring the results were achieved - after all the ultimate resonsibility for the regulatory program rests with the Minister who advises the Governor-general to make the regulations. But successive Ministers and Secretaries have failed miserably in this regard allowing Byron to procrastinate and delay to such a point that he can walk away after 5 years without any accountability for his failure whatsoever. It would have help had he actually come to work from time to time and took a proper interest in the job.

Unfortunately with Taylor and Albanese at the helm we can be guaranteed that nothing of any significance will be achieved during the next 5 years - except a huge bill for the taxpayer.

[james michael]

Clapton

Accepting what you say as reasonable, and ignoring bias bias (no that's not a typo), then much of the blame must sheet to the Government.

If Byron was not the man for the job and did not have the experience, then who selected him.

Likewise, the Rudd government by giving Albanese the breadth of portfolio without extra Minister support has made its focus on aviation clear - none.

I think the 50% staff churn, the Industry Complaints Commissioner, two powerful DCEO, are but three catalysts to long-term change. Given past attempts pre-B1, perhaps B1 is not as inept as some feel. His successor at least has a better start than B1 did.

Paid more than the PM? Agreed. Paid as much as the managers in private enterprise who have presided over enormous financial, staff, and morale disasters - that's a better comparison. He has done a better job without the same gold handshake as they.

[T28D]

The fact that more than $100 million has been wasted on a reform program that delivered nothing but flummery and obsfucation is testament to a total lack of any form of rational accountability.

Committee after Committee examined ways to change ,without ever really considering the actual change mechanism, "Positive Decision Making" this from the regulator of an Industry where "Positive Decision Making" skills are an inherent essential part of day to day operational necessity.

CASA is captive to the worst forms of bureacracy , that is the type of bureacracy that becomes unaccountable through process control and lack of personal discipline in decision making by those who day to day are charged with the active role of enforcement.

Byron entrenched this by showing a complete lack of up front management and total lack of "lead from the front" management ability.

Maybe a good Flight Leiutenant, but never qualified to be a CEO.

[james michael]

T28

I don't believe our thoughts are at odds but the point I am making is perthaps comparability.

Which previous leaders of CAA / CASA shall we benchmark Byron against - and what money was spent in their time/s only to hand over the Wreck of the Hesperus to Byron?

May not excuse the current situation but possibly indicates any CEO of CASA is about to meet the immovable object unless he is the irresistible force! Particularly given the Government lead weights he has to carry above his level.

[Air Ace]

James.

You totally miss the point. What purpose would you achieve by comparing Byron's performance to previous Directors?

Byron was paid more than the PM to achieve certain outcomes within reasonable time periods. Reference to his statements in Hansard, it is obvious he considered he was capable of achieving those outcomes.

Any amount of excuses or “mitigating factors” does not change the fact he failed to achieve his own objectives or achieve the mandates he was given when he accepted the position.

There is no “gray scale” in his executive role as Director - by any measure of performance, he failed and in the process cost Australia over $100 million in failed regulatory reform alone.

Your statement “His successor at least has a better start than B1 did” is also not correct. The next CASA Director probably has a far more difficult task achieving those objectives, than that faced by either Toller or Byron.

One would hope that this time the Minister will appoint a capable, competent, accountable and professional administrator.

Based on the Minister’s pathetic performance to date, I am not confident this will occur.

[james michael]

AA

The reason I'm comparing it is to perhaps indicate that the entrenched culture has long-term blocked change.

I disagree re the successor. The 50% staff change must assist the culture change in the long-term, although to the deficit of the knowledge base.

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

T28D,

There has been considerably more than $100 Million wasted on the regulatory reform process, this was a white elephant long before Byron came along.

Air Ace,

If I was in Byron shoes:

1) Cut away some culturally challenged dead wood, he did this, perhaps should have done more, perhaps should have done less.

2) Try a completely new approach in a number of area's, for example mend some bridges with Industry, he tried this, incidently a vast number of the submissions to the senate dated before his time.

3) Take that fat pay cheque knowing that in time I would be the scape goat for what ever perceived evil has occured, unless CASA grounds all aircraft there is bound to be an accident and that is bound to bear a new crusader to the media. ( not many speak high of those before him - Toller / Smith, why should he expect this be any different ?).

“mitigating factors”, did you try to get involved with the NPRM process ?, I did, what a waste of time that was, went to them with several suggestions, in writing, these never saw the light of days as this individual did not like my suggestions.

So IMHO many within the process of regulatory reform process have been sabotaging the process, no suprises there really.

Byron actually got the industry together and asked questions, then stuff me if he didn't actually listen to our answers, that was a very positive approach.

[bilbert]

Ok so the enquiry achieved nothing for the industry. Next challenge will be the raft of Regulatory Reforms that will be rushed through in the form that was deemed "totally unacceptable" by the industry. I'll take money on it.

Dusted off a copy of the NRPM for 121b the other day 2003 variety. Now wasn't that a coincidence?. BB appointed.