DEP CTLR GAVE AN A320 CLBING OUT OF PHX A TA ON A VFR C421. CAPT RPTR WAS TALKING TO COMPANY AND LISTENING TO ATC AND THOUGHT TFC WAS AT 2 O'CLOCK. A320 DID NOT SEE TFC UNTIL TCASII ALERTED THEM AND THEY EXPEDITED THEIR CLB AND BUSTED THEIR ALT BY 500 FT AND SAID TFC PROX WAS TOO CLOSE.

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PHX DEP CTL (119.2) CONTACTED US WITH A TA. I WAS ON COMPANY FREQ AT THE TIME; GIVING DEP AND ARR TIMES; BUT STILL LISTENING TO ATC AT THE SAME TIME. WE BOTH THOUGHT WE HEARD ATC SAY WE HAD TFC AT 2 O'CLOCK; 14500 FT; SWBOUND. AFTER LOOKING FOR A WHILE (WE WERE HDG 360 DEGS AND CLBING OUT OF 12000 FT FOR 15000 FT) WE FIGURED HE WAS NO LONGER A FACTOR. APPROX 1 MIN LATER; WE RECEIVED A TA FROM TCASII AND OBSERVED AN ACFT AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 3 MI AND 1200 FT ABOVE US DSNDING. SEVERAL SECONDS LATER; HE WAS AT 700 FT AND 2 MI. (WE WERE APCHING 14000 FT.) IT BECAME OBVIOUS AT THIS TIME THAT THIS WAS THE ACFT ATC TOLD US ABOUT AND HE WAS NOT DSNDING; IT WAS OUR CLB THAT WAS CREATING THIS CONFLICT. I INSTRUCTED MY FO TO DISREGARD THE 15000 FT AND CLB FAST. WE LEVELED AT 15500 FT THEN RETURNED TO 15000 FT. I INQUIRED WITH DEP CTL AS TO WHY HE WOULD CLB US THROUGH SOMEONE ELSE'S ALT WHEN NEITHER ACFT HAD A VISUAL ON EACH OTHER. I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT ATC THINK TWICE ABOUT CLRING 2 OPPOSITE DIRECTION ACFT THROUGH EACH OTHER'S ALT UNLESS THEY HAVE A VISUAL IDENT ON EACH OTHER. THIS WAS CLOSE. WE PASSED WITHIN 1 MI OF EACH OTHER HEAD-ON AT THE SAME ALT.