Nick Xenophon
 

Wasn't sure if this was best here or in the Questions, etc but given Nick's efforts on behalf of aviation, I figured this was as good a place as any.

Nick's efforts in aviation are relatively well known by most aviation people. His input was critical in getting the Senate Inquiry into aviation safety. It's been a long time since aviation has had a champion such as him.

Anyway, Nick's Senate position is up for re-election next time we go to the polls- I think it officially expires in July next year.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to plug his web site. www.nickforsa.com.au

So you don't have to agree with all his policies but if you can help out at all, consider helping out one of the genuine good guys in aviation.

A couple of other bits of info that people may be interested in. He didn't accept his invitation into the Qantas Chairman's Club. Every time I've flown him or heard of him travelling he's never in business class. I asked him about it when he disembarked off one flight and he said he believes in saving taxpayers money and therefore happy to be down the back.

Thanks for the info Keg,
Cheers

He funds his travel out of his own pocket, he is a frequent Tiger/AirAsia user.

Nick for PM.

We can but dream?

I've spoken to Nick a bit about the election. Above anything else he would love any of us aviation people to help him for a couple of hours on election day.

You just go to a poll booth and hand out how to vote for Nick forms.

He needs people all across SA.

Nick Xenophon is one of the few people in the Australian parliament whom I respect.

On track, agreed. Very few Pollies are not so much as worth a pinch of pony pooh. Sen X has proven to be a good man. A number of his fellow Senators have also earned a mark of respect in my book. Doug Cameron, although not part of the inquiry, is another good man who is a straight shooter who is passionate about the working class. Maybe he would like to throw his hand at 'all things aviation'? These are the type of Pollies worth supporting as they may just be the ones to champion aviations cause. The parlous state of the regulatory investigative bodies, poor airport infrastructure and planning combined with what one has to question as the sacrifice of GA one stone at a time is good enough reason for a measure of change.

Steve, does Sen X have an election campaign fund which can be contributed to by individuals? I don't know if here is the appropriate place for details, perhaps you can just post a link for interested people to go to?

In the meantime I reckon any support that can be given to this hard working Senator is a good thing :ok:
C'mon Nick, keep the bastards honest!

Nope, sorry Keg. Not going there. No links to any political donations.

Sorry, but PPRuNe is not to be used for any purpose in relation to political donations

I'd almost consider moving to Adelaide just so I could vote for the man.

I did say "almost". :}

No worries Tail Wheel.

For everyone else, Nick is up for re-election. If you'd like the link to his website, send me a PM.

Alternatively you can try a Google search of Nick for SA. It's about the fourth link down at the moment.

No problems Keg. I'm sympathetic to Senator X's contribution to keeping the b#stards honest and comment on his achievements in that respect are not unreasonable, but we can't have political promotion on PPRuNe.

Most of us vote for the 50%; for some reason a few must vote for the 30%; some for the tree huggers and some for the lunatic fringe, however PPRuNe respects it's user's right of free choice.

If we allowed open slather, next we'd have the Hon Member for Grayndler posting here, telling us what a magnificent job he's done as Minister for Transport! :mad:

Of course he would never get past the "I'm new here" moderation probation period ;) :ok:

That feels better.. welcome to our world Albo..... :)

Senator X you giant tease, you keep showing us this glowing model of what a politician should be and yet you won't run for PM?! What's up with that?!

:ok: One more for Nick X

Keg, PM sent mate....
I am surprised that there are no 'Save Joolia' or 'Save Anthony' web links yet? Not that it would do much good!

Regards,

Chairman of blue ties.

If everyone in aviation has the ethics of Nick they will chip him a few $$$ for the campaign. A small thank you for the senate inquiry.

Thanks Nick, and if any left over have a beer on me :ok:

Indeed illusion. It seemed a lot less hassle to do that than move to ADL to support him.

I believe everyone in the Aviation industry owes this man (and his family) a debt. If his one voice was not speaking for us, then there would really be no-one.

This thread should be read by everyone - Tech/Cabin Crew, Engineers, Ground Staff etc etc. If everyone could give a little, I am sure it would help a lot.

Funny thing is, its not just Aviation he helps. He is not just a guy with a bee in his bonnet about Aviation. I'm sure he's not perfect, but he is a stand out politician and a seemingly thorough gentleman!!

V-Jet, this is a good thread mate, but you should remove the links otherwise the thread will get locked, taily has issued a warning!
But otherwise yes, Nick is doing his bit for aviation, understands industry and pilot issues, and has a good grasp on risk and root cause. A decent man to support!

Speaking of SA senators, the rest of the country would be grateful if South Australians got rid of that moron Corey Bernardi at the same time.

Given the choice between booting Corey and booting Sarah Hanson-Young I'd be choosing the Greenie every day of the week.

Oh, He helped get Labors secret weapon Turnbull knocked on the head so caint be all bad..:hmm:

Fonz121, how about we just leave the thread to N.X. related maters..:)





.

Perhaps Nick can share this with se friends??
 

A chill wind blew down from the Brindabellum Mountains and over Capittaline Hill as footsteps echoed across the Forum in the pale light of the long-awaited dawn. Wrapping her cloak tightly around her, Julia Caesar shivered. How had it all gone so horribly wrong?

She gazed up at the statue of her illustrious predecessor, Bennelongus Imperium. Relaxum and Comfortabilis was his motto. How ordinary these words now looked, etched in stone and covered in bird poop. Yet, she now realised, they possibly represented the greatest triumph any leader could achieve?

Passing the vomitorium, she could hear squeals of delight and faint laughter intermingled with sounds of dry-retching and puking. No doubt, she thought to herself, Slipperius was down there in his black toga regurgitating his cab charges.

Where on earth, she wondered, did he go on all those long journeys? And what debauchery went on in the back of those chariots that had so depleted the imperial coffers?

Swiftly walking past the Unionatis Hospitalis, she shuddered at the thought of her favoured son, the handsome Dobellius, taking tithes off the lowly slaves who toiled to clean soiled bed-sheets while he cavorted in the Via Bordello.

She turned abruptly, certain she could hear someone following her. Treachery and subterfuge swirled around her, clothed in darkness. Her enemies were everywhere, plotting, waiting for the right moment to strike. But she knew she could defeat them all, she was certain of that. " They may have knives", she thought to herself, "but they are as nothing compared to my formidable political skills, my acute sense of timing, my renowned judgment, my phenomenal ability to communicate with the masses and my mesmerising vocal skills." Her enemies didn't stand a chance!

But still, that nagging feeling kept creeping back: where on earth was Kevino Septimus?

One by one she mentally ticked off her foes. There was Minimus Shortus, the diminutive former slavemaster who had recently taken to mocking her in the Forum. "Whatever the Empress says, I support" he had proclaimed to roars of laughter from the crowds, "even though I have no idea what it is she said."

More cunning was Praaetor Smith, with his cash-starved armies outside the city walls in the Fields of Duntroon. For 18 months he had patiently waited for the moment to strike, like an adder in the grass.

And what of Senator Carcero, the great orator with the booming voice, who as tribune of Nova South Walesium had razed it to the ground with his Punic land tax while entertaining the proletariat with extravagant Games in his specially built colosseum?

How smart had it been to let him back into the Senate? Had his ambitions been sated? Still on travels to distant lands, imposing Roman law on the Fijians, she was relieved she had sent him far away.

She turned to look at the foundation stones of the Basilica Julia, where her statue was being built, a magnificent testimony to her legacy, emblazed with her own epithet: Nos sunt nobis: we are us. It would be the largest statue in Rome. After all, wasn't her most towering achievement, the introduction of the Carbonara Tax, a 23 dinar levy on all pasta production, a triumphant political victory that future generations would honour her for?

Most dangerous of all, she knew, were those closest to her. Such as Quastor Waynium Swannus, the man she trusted more than any other with the regulation of marketplaces. His day of glory was fast approaching, when he would trick the plebeians by showering them with surplus bread and treasure. She felt an icy chill run down her spine. Somehow, she couldn't help thinking, whenever a leader was overthrown it was he who was always left standing.

Or Gregorius Combatus? A soldier of fortune who'd made his name all those years ago, fighting injustice among the patrician galley-owners. He was now chief priest of the goddess Gaia, a powerful position from whence he could scrutinise the entrails. What had they really told him about her future? Even old Creaanus, could she really trust him?

She stopped to listen, certain someone was close by. She froze as she heard the serpentine hiss of steel being drawn from leather. "Julia!" a voice whispered behind her. She spun around and couldn't believe her eye. "You?" she said. "What on earth are you...? But already it was too late.

Obituarium..........

Moses said to the children of Israel ...

"Pick up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to the Promised Land."

Whitlam said to the people of Australia,

Put down your shovels, sit on your asses, and light up a Camel, this is the Promised Land."

Today, Gillard has,

Stolen your shovel, taxed your asses, put camels in plain packaging, and mortgaged the Promised Land!

(Rowan Dean, who wrote this brilliant piece, is an Australian Financial Review columnist.)

Brilliant!!

Well done, indeed.
 

To Sen Xenophon; A big, heartfelt thankyou from me, just for the Pel Air report alone, not to mention the tireless efforts made and a remarkable ability to keep a politically disparate committee functioning through a complex inquiry, in today's atmosphere. Terrific, Brava and bloody well done!!.

D. Fawcett made an excellent, preparatory – speech - yesterday evening calling for debate on the Senate report, which was approved. These guys and girls are a big blast of fresh air, particularly in the foetid, tawdry atmosphere of today's poor efforts; at least Albo managed to get to school on time and avoid annoying little questions on elephants in the room.

Kudos, respect, gratitude and best of all, unlimited access to the BRB Tim Tam box.

C. Jack, what can I say?; except nice catch, nice.....Good on the erudite Mr. Dean and the AFR....:D..http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...ies/thumbs.gif

Back to the top:ok:

we need Nick back in the Senate
 

All of you pilots in SA need to help Nick as much as you can in the upcoming elections - nobody has done as much for aviation over the last 5-6 years as Nick has. We need David Fawcett as well, but he can be muzzled by his own party, so let's make sure Nick gets back in. :ok:

No doubt about it, another example of his work here. Puts the rest of them to shame.

FawX team goes to work.
 

CASA the saviour of our airspace.....http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/pukey.gif

ASA cannot manage our airspace....http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/pukey.gif

Pots, kettles and the colour black spring to mind; as do foxes in chook sheds and shed loads of wasted money. The shades mendacity, hypocrisy, and a sudden urge to vomit (copiously) prevent further comment.

NX is proving to be good man, slowly tightening the noose on a dangerous, ugly beast. Good on him seems barely adequate, but well done anyway. Brava....:D

TIMA9X thanks for the clip, nice catch...http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...ies/thumbs.gif

Excellent work Tim, bravo.
Senator Xenophon is displaying a quality that CAsA, ASA, ATSBeaker and most other politicians don't have - he cares about aviation safety!
Nothing really complicated in that, nothing new to those of us who work in the industry, and the concept of caring is something not to difficult really. Yep, he is simply concerned about the unsafe abhorrent conditions that exist within our aviation industry, and the root cause of these issues - the inept dross in charge of the entire train set!

Good work Nick, don't stop now :ok:. I know this may sound crass but I am posting you a tub of testicle salve because one can assume that yours are becoming chafed from continuously placing them out there on the front line :E
Keep up the fine fight. You are developing a robust team of players including Entsch, Fawcett, the delectable Nash and others who are moderately influential within the media and the aviation industry.

Civil Air Submission to the Green/White paper 27 June 2008.

Just saying!

I don't get to see a lot from Nick X over on the East Coast, but when I hear him say something, it's refreshing. Finally - a politician that doesn't dribble BS! :D

I wish I could vote him in as PM, maybe Labor should adopt him as leader to secure a win at the next election.

All you citizens in South Australia need to keep voting Nick X in. But Nick, if you read these posts, if the Southern Aussies aren't giving you their votes, move over to sunny QLD mate - we'll give you ours! :ok:

Anyone know what Nick X's position is regarding the disallowance motion on the amendments of CAO 48?

My gut feeling is being a South Aussie,is that Nick will be returned by a country mile.:ok:

Now that the election has been called I'm just brining this back to the top.

Put your faith in a politician ad you are as big of a fool as him

I think you meant to say, 744, that if you put your faith in a politician you are as big a fool as him! :=

But, I've gotta say, I agree with you! ;)

I have a lot of time and respect for Keg, spanning the last ten years or so on PPrune, but he loses me once he starts getting into politics!

You don't need to do this, Keg, you're better and smarter than that!...:):)

I've dealt with a bunch of pollies over the years and Senator X is one of the few guys who doesn't try and snowball you when you talk to him face to face. He's not arrogant.

He genuinely believes in the future of this country rather than his own future power base. Any pollie that eschews the Chairman's lounge and chooses to fly economy between SYD and ADL when no other pollie would think about anything less than the lounge and J class is a decent bloke in my book and worthy of my support. :ok:

:ok::ok: Keg I agree totally!
All aviation folk should be throwing their total support behind this man - the man who keeps raising those awkward questions of those who believe they are untouchable!
Many thanks Nick and please keep on keeping on!

On I trudge delivering election flyer's. If your at my polling booth on the day, I'll be there handing out the "how to vote cards".

My way of saying thank you.

LAME2...I will see you there even though I live in NSW. This man needs our thanks and our support!