Latest news with #RobSharp
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Swans on the surface': What it takes to be an air traffic controller
Melbourne Aerodrome and Airspace Services head Leanne Costin says: 'If you are tapping your foot on the floor, or if you're fidgeting and nervous as you do the work, this is not the job for you. 'You can't be stressed doing this.' Calm and controlled. And alert: there are far more coffee mugs in the tower than controllers on duty. An espresso machine can be seen. The casual dress code is almost like out of a tech start-up: lanyards, business shirts, jeans, hoodies, shorts and thongs, even. What counts is the quality of work. The tower is fully staffed at about 6am and until about 9pm and then it and when it goes into overnight schedule. There are two bedrooms in the Melbourne control tower – one on the seventh floor and another down on the ground floor – for a quick nap. Air traffic controllers who have had a busy night, for example, can recharge before they get on the road to drive home. Having a dedicated place for a quick nap is part of a fatigue management plan. There are 902 civilian air traffic controllers in the country, and they all work for Airservices Australia; it holds a monopoly on firefighting services at airports, too, also employing just over 1000 firefighters at airport's nationwide. ASA is a government-owned entity that raises money from fees charged to the airlines for its services. It's a big job. ASA is responsible for 11 per cent of the world's airspace that runs up across Australia and out west across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius and Colombo. The organisation conducted 3.9 million aircraft movements – take-offs, landings, midair direction – in 2024. This isn't only air traffic approaching and departing airports, but aircraft en route, at 38,000 feet, crossing the continent or travelling to and from Asia, North and South America, and Africa. The office place calm of Melbourne and Brisbane, where the other air traffic control centre is located, is shielded from outside disruptions. ASA faces a number of obstacles that can buffet the organisation: not only does its ageing equipment need upgraded, commercial aviation's post-COVID bounce back has increased the workload. Uncrewed aircraft and drones are also beginning to fill Australia's skies. Adding to the complexity stew, the military has 12 bases around the country that have functioned as their own 'islands' of air traffic control within Australia. Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp notes that improvements at airports will increase capacity for terminals and airlines in Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne, where a third runway is being built. Sydney is getting a fresh new airport with Western Sydney International coming online next year. But infrastructure support services needed to accommodate growth are in some cases '30 or 40 years' old, Sharp said. For this reason, the government was looking ahead when in 2009 it ordered Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence to work to harmonise the control of civilian and military aerospace. The goal is to build operational resilience, safety and increase efficiency by reducing the amount of system-to-system co-ordination and double-ups. ASA's decision to back the OneSKY project, a plan to fuse civil and military air control, is 'globally quite unique', Sharp said on one afternoon at the Melbourne facility. AirServices Australia anticipates that it will save $2.7 billion over 20 years – once the long-delayed program is fully operational. 'When you look at the geopolitics, I think this system will really stand Australia in good stead,' said Sharp. Loading China's decision to conduct naval drills in the Tasman Sea in February is a vivid example. Australia first learnt of it through a Virgin pilot who flagged it with air traffic controllers. Sharp says OneSKY will create more backbone for air control during climate-related events, too. Should a cyclone force the closure of one facility, another air traffic control centre can temporarily provide cover over the network. It 'gives us a lot more resilience to the weather that is occurring'. Most controllers aren't up in the tower but downstairs at Air Traffic Service Centre, a much larger room on the ground of the ASA's compound, on the far side of Melbourne's Airport, away from the terminals and parking. There are banks of radio scopes where the controllers sit, directing the air traffic over Australia, which itself is spliced up into smaller sectors. The vibe is alert but calm. The overhead lights are slightly dimmed. The intensity of fluorescent bulbs is reduced so that it doesn't wear out the eyes of air traffic controllers, who work for about two hours and then take a one-hour break, and then another two hours so they remain fresh for the entire process. To look closely at the screens, laid out in four banks, there's so much information overlapping that it looks, when zoomed out, like smudges of coal. It's only when you zoom in, and continue to zoom in, you can see the smudging is a cluster of symbols for aircraft in motion on the screen. The amount of information and communication is intense. From the time a flight pushes off from Sydney to the time it arrives at the gate in Melbourne, it would be passed through the hands of 14 controllers and five supervisors. As a systems supervisor, Sean Howard monitors the consoles used by the air traffic controllers. He will both react to and prepare for changes, including if there is a technology issue that affects coverage, for example, a radar malfunction. Howard said his work is 'like a triage doctor in an emergency room – we have to adapt to any issue'. The banks of radio scopes correspond to the geography in the country and beyond. On one row, there is coverage for Adelaide, Tasmania, then Melbourne, Sydney, then the Northwest, west and south of Melbourne, the Grampians area. And then there's Perth, whose aerospace has its own unique challenges because it accommodates fly in, fly out traffic which follows surges on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Howard said: 'Controllers try not to focus too much on thinking about the number of people they are looking after [on board the planes].' 'Rather we are part of the overall industry team, the pilots and airline staff are looking after the people on the plane and we are looking after the planes, ensuring every flight is given our equal and full attention.' His work 'is about resolving information on screens'. Sean says he's not an 'aviation nerd' by any means. While many ATCs fly and love planes, many others have the skills and knowledge required 'without a passion for aircraft'. Howard's career in air traffic control began just after high school, when he discovered the ATC Learning Academy in Tasmania where he grew up. At 17, he applied, completed the aptitude testing and interview, and started training. He began work in Melbourne at the start of 1994 and has worked as air traffic controller, line manager and supervisor. ATC 'is the only profession I have ever had and I look forward to coming to work every day'. Costin, the Melbourne Aerodrome head, said air traffic control was 'about task completion'. 'Identify the issue, solve it, even if it means handing a task off to the right person ... do that, then move on.' 'Controllers need to be able to take multi-inputs – they need to be able to multi-task.' It's also about decent pay. It's one of the few roles that can attract a six-digit starting salary for a qualified worker. There is no single background that prepares or forms the ideal personality for the work. Costin, who began her career as an elementary school teacher, said other jobs people have done before coming to air traffic control included being a military air traffic controller, police officers, firefighters, teachers, and even a croupier. O'Keefe, the line leader, says: 'It takes a certain personality that can take direction and work with others.' The ability to prioritise information is key. O'Keefe says air traffic controllers take two hours to tell a joke. 'They can start the joke, pause to complete a separate task, then come back to the joke, pause again for another task, and then come back to the same spot they left in the joke, and finish it.' 'This takes a certain personality,' she said. Although a calm prevails in the air traffic control centre, the upgrade of a system supporting 155 million passenger movements a year has experienced some turbulence. ASA's contract with French-company Thales, the maker of the joint civil-military air traffic management system (CMATS), has been audited three times by the Australian National Audit Office. From February 2018 to the end of 2024, OneSKY has added $160 million in cost overruns on a $1.2 billion contract. Thales' delivery of some elements of the contract had been slowed by COVID lockdowns, which prevented work being done onsite. Loading The complexity and stakes require years of testing to ensure the equipment and controllers gel into a seamless process. On the day the media visited, a handful of engineers were scattered through the brighter OneSky ATSC room. They were doing checks on the system – with access to live data inputs – but unable to output commands. The next step, ASA says, will be to bring over air traffic controllers into the new by 2027 for onsite testing. At that time, the lights will be dimmed, and the complexity of the work – along with the needed calm – will take up a new home within the Melbourne complex.
The Age
4 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Australia aviation: Air traffic control - what it takes to be part of team monitoring 3.9 million aircraft movements
Melbourne Aerodrome and Airspace Services head Leanne Costin says: 'If you are tapping your foot on the floor, or if you're fidgeting and nervous as you do the work, this is not the job for you. 'You can't be stressed doing this.' Calm and controlled. And alert: there are far more coffee mugs in the tower than controllers on duty. An espresso machine can be seen. The casual dress code is almost like out of a tech start-up: lanyards, business shirts, jeans, hoodies, shorts and thongs, even. What counts is the quality of work. The tower is fully staffed at about 6am and until about 9pm and then it and when it goes into overnight schedule. Under bright lights: Testing the new OneSKY system. Credit: AARON FRANCIS There are two bedrooms in the Melbourne control tower – one on the seventh floor and another down on the ground floor – for a quick nap. Air traffic controllers who have had a busy night, for example, can recharge before they get on the road to drive home. Having a dedicated place for a quick nap is part of a fatigue management plan. There are 902 civilian air traffic controllers in the country, and they all work for Airservices Australia; it holds a monopoly on firefighting services at airports, too, also employing just over 1000 firefighters at airport's nationwide. ASA is a government-owned entity that raises money from fees charged to the airlines for its services. It's a big job. ASA is responsible for 11 per cent of the world's airspace that runs up across Australia and out west across the Indian Ocean to Mauritius and Colombo. The organisation conducted 3.9 million aircraft movements – take-offs, landings, midair direction – in 2024. This isn't only air traffic approaching and departing airports, but aircraft en route, at 38,000 feet, crossing the continent or travelling to and from Asia, North and South America, and Africa. The office place calm of Melbourne and Brisbane, where the other air traffic control centre is located, is shielded from outside disruptions. ASA faces a number of obstacles that can buffet the organisation: not only does its ageing equipment need upgraded, commercial aviation's post-COVID bounce back has increased the workload. Uncrewed aircraft and drones are also beginning to fill Australia's skies. Adding to the complexity stew, the military has 12 bases around the country that have functioned as their own 'islands' of air traffic control within Australia. Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp notes that improvements at airports will increase capacity for terminals and airlines in Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne, where a third runway is being built. Sydney is getting a fresh new airport with Western Sydney International coming online next year. But infrastructure support services needed to accommodate growth are in some cases '30 or 40 years' old, Sharp said. Systems supervisor Sean Howard. Credit: AARON FRANCIS For this reason, the government was looking ahead when in 2009 it ordered Airservices Australia and the Department of Defence to work to harmonise the control of civilian and military aerospace. The goal is to build operational resilience, safety and increase efficiency by reducing the amount of system-to-system co-ordination and double-ups. ASA's decision to back the OneSKY project, a plan to fuse civil and military air control, is 'globally quite unique', Sharp said on one afternoon at the Melbourne facility. AirServices Australia anticipates that it will save $2.7 billion over 20 years – once the long-delayed program is fully operational. 'When you look at the geopolitics, I think this system will really stand Australia in good stead,' said Sharp. Loading China's decision to conduct naval drills in the Tasman Sea in February is a vivid example. Australia first learnt of it through a Virgin pilot who flagged it with air traffic controllers. Sharp says OneSKY will create more backbone for air control during climate-related events, too. Should a cyclone force the closure of one facility, another air traffic control centre can temporarily provide cover over the network. It 'gives us a lot more resilience to the weather that is occurring'. Most controllers aren't up in the tower but downstairs at Air Traffic Service Centre, a much larger room on the ground of the ASA's compound, on the far side of Melbourne's Airport, away from the terminals and parking. There are banks of radio scopes where the controllers sit, directing the air traffic over Australia, which itself is spliced up into smaller sectors. The vibe is alert but calm. The overhead lights are slightly dimmed. The intensity of fluorescent bulbs is reduced so that it doesn't wear out the eyes of air traffic controllers, who work for about two hours and then take a one-hour break, and then another two hours so they remain fresh for the entire process. Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp. Credit: AARON FRANCIS To look closely at the screens, laid out in four banks, there's so much information overlapping that it looks, when zoomed out, like smudges of coal. It's only when you zoom in, and continue to zoom in, you can see the smudging is a cluster of symbols for aircraft in motion on the screen. The amount of information and communication is intense. From the time a flight pushes off from Sydney to the time it arrives at the gate in Melbourne, it would be passed through the hands of 14 controllers and five supervisors. As a systems supervisor, Sean Howard monitors the consoles used by the air traffic controllers. He will both react to and prepare for changes, including if there is a technology issue that affects coverage, for example, a radar malfunction. Howard said his work is 'like a triage doctor in an emergency room – we have to adapt to any issue'. The banks of radio scopes correspond to the geography in the country and beyond. On one row, there is coverage for Adelaide, Tasmania, then Melbourne, Sydney, then the Northwest, west and south of Melbourne, the Grampians area. And then there's Perth, whose aerospace has its own unique challenges because it accommodates fly in, fly out traffic which follows surges on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Howard said: 'Controllers try not to focus too much on thinking about the number of people they are looking after [on board the planes].' 'Rather we are part of the overall industry team, the pilots and airline staff are looking after the people on the plane and we are looking after the planes, ensuring every flight is given our equal and full attention.' His work 'is about resolving information on screens'. Sean says he's not an 'aviation nerd' by any means. While many ATCs fly and love planes, many others have the skills and knowledge required 'without a passion for aircraft'. Howard's career in air traffic control began just after high school, when he discovered the ATC Learning Academy in Tasmania where he grew up. At 17, he applied, completed the aptitude testing and interview, and started training. He began work in Melbourne at the start of 1994 and has worked as air traffic controller, line manager and supervisor. ATC 'is the only profession I have ever had and I look forward to coming to work every day'. Costin, the Melbourne Aerodrome head, said air traffic control was 'about task completion'. 'Identify the issue, solve it, even if it means handing a task off to the right person ... do that, then move on.' 'Controllers need to be able to take multi-inputs – they need to be able to multi-task.' It's also about decent pay. It's one of the few roles that can attract a six-digit starting salary for a qualified worker. There is no single background that prepares or forms the ideal personality for the work. Plenty of coffee mugs in the control tower. Credit: AARON FRANCIS Costin, who began her career as an elementary school teacher, said other jobs people have done before coming to air traffic control included being a military air traffic controller, police officers, firefighters, teachers, and even a croupier. O'Keefe, the line leader, says: 'It takes a certain personality that can take direction and work with others.' The ability to prioritise information is key. O'Keefe says air traffic controllers take two hours to tell a joke. 'They can start the joke, pause to complete a separate task, then come back to the joke, pause again for another task, and then come back to the same spot they left in the joke, and finish it.' 'This takes a certain personality,' she said. Although a calm prevails in the air traffic control centre, the upgrade of a system supporting 155 million passenger movements a year has experienced some turbulence. ASA's contract with French-company Thales, the maker of the joint civil-military air traffic management system (CMATS), has been audited three times by the Australian National Audit Office. From February 2018 to the end of 2024, OneSKY has added $160 million in cost overruns on a $1.2 billion contract. Thales' delivery of some elements of the contract had been slowed by COVID lockdowns, which prevented work being done onsite. Loading The complexity and stakes require years of testing to ensure the equipment and controllers gel into a seamless process. On the day the media visited, a handful of engineers were scattered through the brighter OneSky ATSC room. They were doing checks on the system – with access to live data inputs – but unable to output commands.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Aussies to be hit by up to 400mm of rain
Queenslanders could be smashed by up to 400mm of rain after residents were warned to brace for heavy rainfall and potential flooding. Sky News Weather meteorologist Rob Sharp said Queensland's southeast could be smashed by rainfall totals between 100 and 400mm over the next few days as flood watches were issued for parts of the state. 'A lot of rain in the forecast,' Mr Sharp said on Tuesday, according to Sky News. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said rainfall totals of 287mm was recorded at Toolakea between 9am Tuesday and 5am Wednesday, as well as 284mm at Bluewater during the same period. Falls of 211mm were recorded in just the six hours to 1.26am at Bluewater, while 197mm was recorded in the six hours to 1.25am at Toolakea. Ms Bradbury said six hourly rainfall totals up to 160mm could be recorded on Wednesday morning, as well as isolated falls of 240mm, across areas including Townsville, Palm Island and Lucinda. She warned 'triple digit rainfall totals' were likely to continue on Wednesday. A severe weather warning for heavy rainfall was issued for parts of the Herbert and Lower Burdekin Forecast District on Wednesday morning. 'The risk of heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is expected to continue during this morning,' the Bureau of Meteorology alert stated. Moderate flood warnings were issued for the Bohle and Herbert rivers, while minor flood warnings were issued for the Ross, Mulgrave, Russell and Tully rivers. A flood warning is also in place for the Black River and Bluewater Creek, while a final flood warning was issued for the Johnstone River Catchment and Lower Condamine River. However, conditions are tipped to ease through the afternoon. 'Heavy falls will remain a risk, but start to become a little less likely later today,' Ms Bradbury said. 'Into Thursday, the risk of heavy falls and flash flooding continues, but once again, will become even more isolated across the Herbert and Lower Burdekin Coast and the North Tropical Coast. 'The risk of heavy falls should clear late this week, although showery weather with lower rainfall totals is likely to persist into this weekend.' The grim warning comes just a month after nearly 200 Ingham homes were hit by floods, with Hinchinbrook Shire Mayor Ramon Jayo saying there was still 'a lot of trauma'. Mr Jayo said 'things can change in a heartbeat' and urged people to prepare for potential flooding. Brisbane is tipped to reach highs of 28C and 29C as the rain persists, while Sydney is expected to have a cloudy week with a high of 29C. A chance of showers is also forecast for the Harbour City moving into the weekend. Melbourne is set to experience showers from Thursday despite a high of 30C before temperatures plummet to a top of 23C on Friday, with showers also set to develop on Thursday and Friday. Perth can expect a sunny week with temperatures soaring to 34C on the weekend, while Adelaide is set to hit a high of 32C on Wednesday before possible showers on Thursday. Temperatures are set to jump from 28C to 30C over the weekend. Hobart is also in for rain from Thursday through to the weekend, with a top of 29C expected on Thursday. Canberra is also expected to experience showers from Thursday into the weekend. Darwin is expected to remain steady at highs of 32C and 33C through the week; however, showers and possible thunderstorms are likely.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pilots raised the alarm after Chinese navy warned of live-fire drills off Australia, forcing dozens of flights to divert
A Chinese navy flotilla conducted a live-fire exercise off the Australian coast on Friday. A Virgin Australia pilot informed air traffic control after hearing a radio broadcast. The warning triggered 49 flights to divert as a hazard alert commenced. Dozens of flights were forced to divert after a pilot warned air traffic control about a Chinese navy live-firing exercise off the Australian coast. Authorities were unaware of the exercise until a pilot raised the alarm on Friday. Rob Sharp, the CEO of Airservices Australia, the government agency responsible for air safety, gave evidence to a Senate hearing in Canberra on Monday. "It was, in fact, a Virgin Australia aircraft that advised one of our air traffic controllers that a foreign warship was broadcasting that they were conducting live firing 300 nautical miles off our coast," he said. Task Group 107 of the People's Liberation Army Navy was operating off the New South Wales coast in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand. It consisted of a frigate, a cruiser, and a replenishment vessel. The Virgin Australia pilot heard one of the vessels broadcasting on the international guard frequency on Friday morning, said Peter Curran, Airservices Australia's deputy CEO. He told the hearing that the government agency then commenced a hazard alert to warn all flights in the area. It then advised the Department of Defence's Headquarters Joint Operations Command. "Bearing in mind at that stage, we didn't know if it was a hoax or real," Curran said. Twenty minutes after the Virgin pilot's warning, an Emirates aircraft also made contact with the Chinese flotilla. It heard the radio broadcast advising that live firing was taking place between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time. Some 49 aircraft were diverted over the course of Friday, Curran said. That included some that were already in the air when the hazard alert was issued, but were flights later in the day that adjusted their route to avoid the airspace. Flight plans continued to divert throughout the weekend as a matter of precaution, he added. The incident sparked diplomatic tensions over the weekend. A spokesperson for Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, told Guardian Australia: "The Australian Government has raised its concern with the lack of notice on the live fire activity from the Chinese Government, including through appropriate channels in Canberra and Beijing." Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement that the drill would not impact aviation safety. He added that it took place in international waters and safety notices were issued in advance. "Australia has unjustly criticized China and deliberately exaggerated the issue," Wu said. Reuters reported that New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the live-fire exercise complied with international law, adding: "The issue for us is … we'd appreciate a little bit more advance notice, particularly on what is a busy air route." Australia's Department of Defence said it was continuing to monitor Task Group 107 as it re-entered Australia's exclusive economic zone early on Tuesday. Read the original article on Business Insider
CNN
25-02-2025
- General
- CNN
Australia found out about Chinese navy live-fire drills through a commercial pilot, official says
Australia learned about Chinese live-fire naval drills off the country's coast that forced dozens of flights to be diverted via an alert from a commercial pilot, authorities said on Monday. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's unprecedented show of firepower in waters between Australia and New Zealand has raised alarm in both countries in recent days as a clearer picture emerges of how much warning Beijing gave about the exercises. The first notice of the Chinese drills in the Tasman Sea came in a radio transmission on an emergency frequency monitored by a Virgin Australia passenger jet on Friday, according to Australian officials. The Virgin pilot relayed the information to Australian aviation authorities, who then issued a 'hazard alert' via air traffic control, Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp told a parliamentary hearing. Airservices Australia Deputy CEO Peter Curran told the hearing that at least 49 aircraft diverted their flight paths on Friday to avoid the flotilla of three Chinese warships conducting the exercise. The New Zealand and Australian governments said China did not issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) about the drills, which they said took place in two rounds in the Tasman Sea on Friday and Saturday. A NOTAM tells aviators about airspace changes and can be issued up to seven days before events like the live-fire drills, according to US authorities. China's Ministry of Defense said Sunday that the exercises conducted in international waters complied with international law and did not affect aviation safety. It also slammed Australia for 'hyping up' the drills and making 'unreasonable accusations.' Though the drills were held in international waters, Beijing could have given Australia and New Zealand a heads-up much sooner in the interests of safety, naval experts said. Defense analyst Jennifer Parker, a former Australian naval officer, wrote in a blog post Sunday that the Chinese ships did not violate international law and were well within their rights to conduct the live fire drills where they did, in the open ocean. 'It's not aggressive, it's just what warships do on the high seas,' Parker wrote. 'There is no legal obligation for foreign warships to notify coastal nations over 300 nautical miles away about live firing activities on the high seas.' But Parker said the Chinese ships may not have followed best practices, under which live-fire drills should maintain a safe distance from commercial flight routes. 'Indications from flight diversions suggest that the Chinese warships may have been too close to civilian air transit routes. If this is the case, it represents poor practice that warrants diplomatic discussion,' she wrote. Analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, was blunter. 'Forcing aircraft to divert from their internationally recognized routes is considered unsafe and irresponsible,' Schuster said. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday that while China's drills complied with international law, Beijing 'could have given more notice.' Judith Collins, the defense minister of New Zealand, said China's warning should have come hours earlier. 'There was a warning to civil aviation flights, that was basically a very short amount of notice, a couple of hours, as opposed to what we would consider best practice, which is 12-24 hours' notice, so that aircraft are not having to be diverted when they're on the wing,' she told public broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ). By Tuesday, the Chinese ships had moved to about 160 miles east of Hobart on the southern island of Tasmania, and Australian and New Zealand defense forces were monitoring their movements, the Australian Defense Ministry said. Australian officials said Monday that flight diversions continued throughout the weekend but did not cause any major disruptions to air traffic. In such circumstances it's best to exercise caution, analysts said. 'Airliners listen out on the standby radio to the 121.5 international distress frequency. The naval group will contact the aircraft on 121.5 before it reaches a 'threat' range and demand it alter course to avoid overflight,' said Byron Bailey, a former Emirates airline senior captain. 'It is standard procedure not to overfly a naval battle group,' he said. Bailey recounted how, when flying a 777 airliner over the Persian Gulf, a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group once ordered him to alter his course to avoid going over the US flotilla. The PLA Navy ships – a frigate, a Type 055 destroyer and a replenishment vessel – had been sailing down the coast of Australia since mid-February, according to the Australian Defence Force. Collins, the New Zealand defense minister, said the Chinese naval exercises were unprecedented in those waters. 'We've certainly never seen a task force or task group of this capability undertaking that sort of work,' Collins told RNZ. While the exercises may be a first for China in the southern waters, such maneuvers are standard practice around the world, including by Australia and its allies in the South China Sea. 'Australia does this on our deployments, and we should avoid overreacting,' said Parker, the Australian analyst. That fact was noted by Chinese netizens on social media, where the PLA Navy deployment has received significant attention. 'Our 055 went to Australia for live-fire exercises, and they conducted them twice,' one person wrote on X-like platform Weibo, referring to the powerful Chinese surface vessel in a post that hinted at tensions around the South China Sea's contested Paracel Islands, which Beijing calls the Xisha Islands. 'We should have used this way to communicate long ago. I think the Australian side will understand! If you intrude my Xisha Islands, I will come to your doorstep.' But Bailey, the former Emirates senior captain and a former Australian air force fighter pilot, said it was China that was being provocative. The PLA Navy drills were 'unprofessional and deliberately disrespectful,' he said. 'The PLAN was just 'giving the finger' to Australia and New Zealand.'
