Dear Julia

Dear Julia,
I know what you’re thinking: it’s been a long time since we last saw each other. And you’re right, it was at the B-24 Liberator in Werribee on the 60th Anniversary of VP day in ‘05. I should have written before now, but I got a bit busy and then you got tangled up in this Prime Minister business … you know how it gets.

So, just on the QT, between you and me, is Anthony Albanese going to keep his job if you get elected? I couldn’t help but notice he was at Kev’s shoulder during the leadership challenge, which sort of says to me that he probably wasn’t keen on you getting the top job. And I reckon that someone like Bill Shorten would be pretty happy with the Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government portfolio (and can you do something about that name!) … unless it got promised to someone else in return for a vote, did it?

And you have to admit that Albo hasn’t really grabbed the job with both hands, not as far as aviation goes anyway. Sure, he did the White Paper thing, but that turned out to be not worth the dunny paper it was written on. And he’s making the sounds, but you can’t help but think that’s just him blowing his own trumpet. But I suppose we can’t expect too much from the Member for Grayndler; it is the disgruntled masses living under the KSA approaches that keep him in parliament, not the aircraft owners, operators and pilots of this world. Did Kev not see any conflict of interest there?

But what’s really getting up the noses of most of us flyboys and flygirls is that he’s done nothing but sit on his hands over attacks on airports. Okay, he did say in the White Paper that he would protect airports, but the statement really was a bit motherhood, wasn’t it? That’s that “making sounds” thing I was talking about. Right now we have airports like Caloundra, Casino and Evans Head that are being royally stuffed-up by the councils that got control of them under the Aerodrome Local Ownership Program and now basically want them gone and are ignoring their obligations under the Deed of Transfer.

They really are flipping the bird at both the Minister and the aviation industry. According to the Deed, the councils that control the airports are obliged:
- To take action to create land-zoning around the airport which will prevent residential and other incompatible development in areas which are, or may be, adversely affected by aircraft noise;
- To prevent developments which would be incompatible with air navigation and communications facilities; and
- To not, without the written consent of the Federal Government, close the airport or sell, lease or otherwise dispose of the Airport, or any part of it.
 
If Albo’s statements in the White Paper were not just a waste of printer’s ink, all he has to do is ring the councils and put the hard word on them. But he hasn’t done that; he’s stayed very quiet on the matter and let the councils run rampant. That’s not good, Julia. It has put us aviationists in a position where we have to choose between what Albo says and what Albo does. And now you’ve sent us all to the polls, you can guarantee he will be busy crawling to the disgruntled masses of Grayndler who almost to a person want aviation in any form relocated to anywhere else.

After reading all this, you’re probably thinking that I’m some form of anti-Albanese activist. Come on, you have to admit he’s the wrong person to be in control of aviation in Australia. He is right that aeroplanes and airfields are important bits of our infrastructure, which is why the Minister shouldn’t be beholden to one side of the debate and not the other.

So, come on, Julia. Is Albo going to keep his portfolio or not? I promise I won’t post it on WikiLeaks.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch