Entry No.72c

IT Writers Awards

Australia's peak computerised air traffic control system is under-tested, under-maintained and poses a "significant risk" to the airline industry, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has claimed.

These allegations are directed at Airservices Australia, the government-run organisation that maintains and manages the nation's network of aircraft monitoring systems, including the locally-built TAAATS (The Advanced Australian Air Traffic Systems) network

The CPSU's complaints followed a string of incidents to hit Airservices operations in the past year. In June 1999, a software problem with the $375 million TAAATS network brought down several radar screens monitoring aircraft traffic between Sydney and Melbourne. Then on July 7 this year, a power outage - made worse by a backup power failure - again hampered contact between Sydney tower and nearby flights.

Airservices own Web site, (www.airservices.gov.au), reveals that the same problem struck again on August 1 this year.

In mid-July this year, two separate close calls between aircraft over Alice Springs and Cairns were allegedly the result of errors in the human/machine interface between TAAATS and air traffic controllers.

Adrian O'Connell, national secretary of communications section, CPSU, cites Airservices' sacking of about 60 percent of its technical and engineering staff during the past 10 years as a major contributing factor to TAAATS' current woes. With the complex system requiring heavy-duty testing and maintenance in order to function safely, he said the reduction in technical staff is "putting the national airways system at significant risk".

Perhaps more alarming is a claim made by Alistair Waters, national organiser for the CPSU's aviation section, who alleges that a member of the Airservices hierarchy said the responsibility of public safety falls squarely on the shoulders of the union, rather than the organisation officially charged with the task

"We're not happy with the response that either we or our members are getting from Airservices," Waters said. "Bernie Smith, the chief operating officer, told us that the last consultative council meeting that he wasn't paying attention to the safety concerns being raised by staff because he believed they are industrial issues. We think that's completely inappropriate."

Aiservices spokesman Richard Dudley was unavailable for an interview at press time

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