Mr. Evan Cullen:

It is because we are aware of pilots who have no confidence in the peer support group made available to them. The number one objective of the peer support group is not to look after the pilot but to get a problem pilot out of the cockpit. That is the number one objective. The number two objective is to ensure the welfare of the pilot but the number one objective is to make sure none of us gets into an aeroplane whose pilot has a mental health problem. That is the number one objective. At the moment, we are not providing a safe harbour or safe place for pilots with problems to go to. What is actually being said to pilots is, if they are alcoholics and if that is found out, they will be sacked. They will then have a problem with paying the mortgage and feeding their children as well as their problem with alcohol. Pilots will not, therefore, put their hands up. We need a safe place. Peers being selected by management or coming from management themselves does not augur well. We have to be in the real world. When we said this to the Department, it chose to conflate mandatory reporting requirements on pilots as to how they operate aircraft with this peer support. It was a complete and utter demonstration of its lack of understanding of how things work in the real world. That is all it managed to do when they set this up.