Life at the sharp end
Every once in a while, about as often as a solar eclipse, Outsider's employer allows him to travel up the front of an aeroplane, usually meaning a seat in business class unless some kind airline employee takes pity on the elderly and somewhat rotund gentleman presenting at check-in and upgrades him to First Class.
And that is why Outsider continues to beg forgiveness for Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) chairman, Greg Medcraft, who clearly spends a lot of time packing his bags and fulfilling his commitments as chairman of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
With ASIC being committed to transparency, the regulator yet again published Medcraft's recent travel details and costs and it transpires that he managed to rack up around $120,000 travelling to destinations such as New York, Washington, Frankfurt and Rio over a 12 month period.
Not mentioned in the ASIC travel disclosures was that the ASIC chairman had also racked up some serious domestic flights, and quite a few to Canberra where he addressed a number of Senate Committee hearings.
Outsider is no particular expert on frequent flyer accumulation, and he is not even sure that Commonwealth practice allows Medcraft to personally benefit from his time in the air, but the kilometres travelled at the front of the aeroplane and the destinations visited by the ASIC chairman suggests that he might have accumulated well in excess of 700,000 points in recent times.
Of course Medcraft's contract as ASIC chairman expires in the not too distant future and, Outsider assumes, so will his IOSCO gig, so he might care to reflect on how often the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has been photographed utilising public transport.
AUTHOR
The Outsider
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