"It’s now time to re-open the senate inquiry into Customs IT outsourcing"
Unfortunately, now that Howard has neutered the Senate there is no chance of an inquiry into something which could only be embarrasing to the Government.
Lets all remember what the Government has done to the Senate as a "house of review" when the next election comes around. Only 2 more years to put up with this nonsense.

There has to be some accountability for this debacle. Ellison has thicker hide than an elephant and continues to dissemble and duck. The senior customs people who advised him to turn on the new system are about to leave the service, or left a while ago. If there was a way to delay their pensions or rescind their gongs it should be pursued with vigor. Why not try to get Senators Joyce and Fielding on side for an enquiry. Clearly Customs learned nothing from Midford Paramount and the subsequent review. This mess could have been avoided if Customs had learned the lessons from that review. Maybe an independent Customs Board of Review needs to be established to oversight the Service’s dealings with the private sector. A body like that was set up after Midford Paramount but was quietly dispatched to oblivion by Lionel Woodward. The obvious lack of understanding within Customs of how the industry it seeks to regulate actually works is an inexcusable failing. Lionel Woodward’s words that you only need to be a competent administrator to run Customs are ringing hollow. He never took the time to learn how international trade works and the results speak volumes. There is no one in Customs who should feel any sense of accomplishment for the mess that is the ICS.

Joe, You are too generous "Customs is an organisation struggling for direction" you could add "Immigration" where this government sends Australian residents, and Australian citizens overseas, then brings them back years later, realising they made a mistake, whilst similtaneously importing a self confessed peodophile from the USA to sudy at James Cook University, and a Major in Saddam's private force to live in Adelaide, most Federal Government Departments appear rudderless, in fact the Federal Government appears as though it couldn't run a chook raffle at the moment.