There was a presumption that Barnaby Joyce would, for the first time in 34 years make some some requirements of CASA that would cause at some some specific reforms to show he means business, CPR with timelines.
What a shame, the de facto CASA CEO won’t have much trouble with that lot because BJ still persists with the idiotic notion of safety being the most important consideration, rather than the health of Australia’s aviation industry.
There it is plainly told, emphasised to CASA and to Australia’s aviation industry.
The well being, the usefulness, the opportunities, the job creation, the international harmonisation, airspace reform, drone ops, aircraft maintenance, Angel Flight’s carriage of sick people to treatment, the flying training, the charter flying, the fairness of the regulatory environment and the costs to General Aviation are all subservient to “safety,”
This SoE gives JA even more work to make reports and comply with the necessity to plan this and that, consult with ‘stakeholders,’ create task forces to decide who are these stakeholders and devise new ways of gathering statistics (more unpaid work from GA operators).
All of the above are catered for in the SoE because CASA is instructed to obtain adequate resources in order to fulfil the requirements of the SoE. The symmetry is beautiful, increase the fees to industry in order to comply with the SoE.
This new SoE is novel in its instructions to consider many matters that could go to the reforms that are desperately needed to revive the battered body of General Aviation. But it all hinges on interpretation and whether or not Minister Joyce, if re-elected and remains the Minister, is prepared to follow through.
There is not only the ‘safety’ catch all excuse that spoils this half hearted, improbable attempt to cause reform but the utterly muddled and unresolved concept about the lines of responsibility. Joyce talks about CASA’s independence in the same breathe as exposing the bleeding obvious, that when all is said and done he, as Minister, is responsible along with Parliament.
There’s not been sufficient intelligence applied to this statement because to do so draws one to the inevitable conclusion, that you can’t possibly have it both ways.
Here is exposed the true problem, the model of governance has by any standard failed. Not in a spectacular fashion, such as a fall at the last hurdle, but in a steadily worsening disease over the last two and three decades. This explains in part the lack of recognition to the miserable state of affairs. Even many in GA and certainly our MPs, won’t easily grasp what’s been lost and therefore cannot understand what the benefits to Australia would be with a proper going aviation industry.
The only real hope for aviation in Australia is for the administration to be conducted through a Department of Government with a Minister in charge, this is the proven Westminster system.
Governance by ‘independent’ Commonwealth corporations is an anathema to our freedoms and democratic responsible government.
Any joy here for Glen? Not much but the otherwise invisible CASA Board is instructed to issue “communiques” about its deliberations, therefore it might have to mention ’the war,’ heaven forbid even Glen’s name might appear. However there’s no stipulated timeline and no doubt there’ll be lots of
PR drivel about how they are considering world’s best practice but safety is the highest and overriding consideration.