Congratulations Clamback & Hennessy – editorial
If anybody was wondering when the airport privatisation penny would drop, they’ll be happy to know that has now happened!
The open display of totally sympathetic support and downright generosity towards one of Bankstown airport’s best-known flight training organisations was an outstanding testimony to the determination of an entire industry to arrest the demolition of those critical community assets – our aerodromes.
Yesterday (Sunday June 20) well over 500 highly aviation-aware people showed up to support Ray Clamback and Aminta Hennessy in their unequal legal battle with Bankstown Airport Corporation over its “legalised confiscation” of their major asset – a hangar which would now cost something like $1.4m to replace, even if there was an airport somewhere to build one.
AviationAdvertiser Managing Director Ben Morgan was Master of Ceremonies and also provided a call to action, urging the aviation community to start getting assertive in broadening awareness of the industry’s ongoing plight.
This hangar was just one of an unknown number of aviation assets that the Commonwealth Government in effect sold to a consortium of property developers that now owns Bankstown and Camden airports, even though it wasn’t the government’s to sell.
Now you own it – now you don’t. Compliments of your elected government.
An impressive aspect was not only the numbers, but the credentials of so many well-known senior Australian aviators and aviation businessmen who attended, many flying in from interstate. These people showed a deepened understanding of the way three successive governments (and their bureaucracies) have mismanaged a process that was established with the worthiest of goals – to secure the future of major public assets in a way that would deliver industry and community benefits by maintaining and improving those assets under private ownership.
But it wasn’t only the elders of the aviation tribe who turned up – it was everybody from first-solo student pilots to LAMEs to young (and old) instructors and people who just understand and appreciate aviation for what it is and what it means to Australians.
Although many of these individuals and industry figures had never before discussed it as a group, all had obviously drawn the same conclusions on the root causes of the failure of privatisation to deliver the industry and community benefits that were expected of it.
Flying support, a great turn up of aircraft and supporters
By a trick of chronological fate Clamback & Hennessy were among the first to feel the force of their new landlords’ determination to squeeze out more blood than remains in the aviation stone, because the expiry of their current lease (from the former Federal Airports Corporation) came up not long after BAL took over the airport. The message was not lost on other airport tenants whose leases would expire in the coming months and years.
Aviation people all over Australia (like those who attended the Bankstown event yesterday) are now becoming more aware of the threat to their industry from the betrayals and oversights of successive governments over the last (almost 20) years.
They have identified the problems and now they want them fixed.
First, the government must acknowledge that multiple unintended problems exist. If that is in doubt, and high school student with a flair for statistics would be far more helpful than the sources the government is currently using.
The next step would be to examine the purpose and intent of the Airports Act 1966, and the degree to which it has been observed and complied with in policy.
Next for scrutiny, are the mechanisms that were put in place – the constraints on airport operators detailed in the leases of GAAP and other airports under the Act, and also in the Deeds of Transfer related to about 350 regional airports under the Aerodrome Local Ownership Plan (ALOP).
The burning questions become obvious:
- Have the legal contracts entered into by head-lease holders at GAAP (and other) airports covered by the Act been adequately enforced?
- If not, why not?
- And what is the fix for these negligences?
And exactly the same questions must be asked and answered about the outrageous handling of the ALOP airports.
AviationAdvertiser.com.au has now conducted considerable research on these issues and we already have a volume of documented evidence that points to specific deficiencies in the way the privatisation processes have been managed and monitored.
We have offered to use our resources to help consolidate industry concern and to present it, along with ample documented evidence, to those who bear responsibility for the proper conduct of government processes, and ultimately also for continued failure to meet those responsibilities.
The outcomes everybody hopes for are nothing more than an acknowledgment that the process hasn’t met its goals, and a very rapid response based on actions, not words.
If you want to help but would like to know more, just send an email to pdphelan@aviationadvertiser.com.au and we’ll email you some interesting reading, along with space to add a signature in support of this awakening.
And keep watching this space.
The main thing is not to bother with public servants either State or Federal as they are just there to enact policy not make it.
The pressure needs to be applied to elected members to make sure that things are fixed as they make the policy.
Kym
It’s a sad fact that successive Australian governments have stuffed actively Australia’s regional aviation infrastructure. They have not only failed to act when it comes to enforcement of the Transfer Deeds over ALOP aerodromes but have continued to suscribe publicly to the belief that the market place will do the right thing by aviation while knowing from the evidence presented to them regularly that this is sheer bloody nonsense.
The real agenda is the carve-up of regional airports around Australia for real estate development while appearing to be concerned about aviation.
The loosening of the reins over ALOP Aerodromes by former Minister John Anderson in 2004 without any public announcement (as far as I am aware) is, in my view, a scandal. The decision came hot on the heels of the ‘Making Ends Meet’ report into regional aviation which recommended support, the opposite of the Anderson and DOTARS action. Too much of a coincidence in time as far as I am concerned. We kept being told that there would be action on the Making Ends Meet report but this was disingenuous as the loosening decision was already in place. Aviation was left to hang out to dry and shrivel up.
A Minister farts and it’s covered in the news for the next week. The government makes available billions of dollars worth of aviation infrastructure for real estate development and we don’t hear a word. No announcement in parliament. Failure to answer questions. Obfuscation. What’s going on here!
The current Minister has done nothing to correct this parlous situation.
It is time to call the current Federal Minister and his department to account, to do their job, to look after aviation. Nothing less will do.
Dr Richard Gates
President
The Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Committee Inc.
Commentators are right on the mark, only action by parliament will cause any reforms for general aviation.
In relation to government airports I would like to see the airside kept in public ownership, just as roads are, and the landside subdivided and sold as freehold. This would enable long term investment in GA like any other industry.
Minorities will never be heard by the large parties (unless you are a greenie!). What needs to happen is the following:
1. Every single pilot who cares about this must join AOPA.
2. AOPA members must then vote in some politically savvy representatives. This fight for airports must be AOPA’s main goal for the next ten to twenty years.
3. AOPA must then approach and get onside at least one if not two independants in parliament. They are the ones who hold power (just look at the NSW parliament). The NSW govt cannot get anything through without them. The Shooters party has managed to get changes to the firearms laws by agreeing to support other bills the govt wants to get through parliament.
4. AOPA then needs to put forward an independant senate nomination in a marginal seat and have all AOPA memebrs and other pilots support them in order to get a seat. Only then will changes take place.
As for AOPA being the representative, some people hate AOPA for past issues. Guess what, they are the best placed organisation to do something. And as a member of AOPA (like any democracy) you get the committee you deserve. Want to make something happen, then join and make the changes and get it on the road to fighting this. AOPA is internationally recognised and if every pilot became a member maybe then politicians would listen. Until then we are all pissing into the wind and we can jump up and down to the political parties but nothing will change. In fact it will only get worse.
My 2 cents…
LEASING DISPUTE RESOLVED
With a change of management the new Bankstown Airport Limited (BAL) CEO, Mr Colin Grove has brought a more business-like approach to BAL’s affairs and that of the lessees on Bankstown Airport.
He clearly identified that future prosperity of BAL, as owner of Bankstown Airport, is mutually dependent on the economic viability of those air operators who are lessees and those who use Bankstown Airport.
During the discussions Mr Grove said, “I am willing to work more closely with the tenants to ensure that they continue to create value from their investments. In turn, the greater the value of the tenants’ business the greater the value of BAL’s property.”
With this approach in mind last week, BAL’s two year legal battle with ourselves was resolved. Both sides made acceptable compromises and a win win solution was found, and a Deed of Settlement was signed by both parties.
Aminta said, “We are appreciative of Mr Colin Grove’s willingness to sit down and talk. There was give and take during the negotiations but at least the enormous legal costs were stopped. We now have secure tenure on a basis that provides us with a business future”.
With Mr Colin Grove’s approach there is hope for lessees that solutions can be found.
Well, sounds like a victory for Clamback & Hennessy and I am pleased for them. [no doubt a confidential deal]; But, the legal issues have not been resolved in the courts, so the rest of GA is still going to get robbed and bullied by the developers, these problems are occuring all across Australia not just at Bankstown. (C&H’s problem with the developers was not an isolated case by any means)- there is still no end in sight for the many businesses still suffering.
Dare I ask… all the money raised for the hyper expensive court battle that never happened has gone where exactly? People have donated on the understanding that the funds raised would be used to finance the legal battle to the benefit of C&H and therefore, ultimately, the whole aviation community; One has to assume that had the court battle taken place the many questions as to leases, government selling crown land, reversion clauses etc etc would have been resolved once and for all – this has not happened.