LABOR’S STATEMENT ON AVIATION 2007
Martin Ferguson AM MP
Shadow Minister for Transport
CAMPAIGN 2007
Aviation is a lifeblood industry for Australia – a critical service for our economy, our regions and linking us to the world.
Australia has a proud aviation history, but we have no aviation plan for the future.
The industry has rallied to recover from the impact of 9/11, the demise of Ansett, SARS and the Bali bombings – with unprecedented growth fuelled by the resources boom, low cost carriers and larger aircraft into regional airports.
But the Howard Government has not prepared for this growth. It has continued in spite of the Howard Government’s mismanagement and inaction, but this can not continue.
Aviation activity is predicted to double by 2020, but our airlines are cancelling services on a daily basis because they can’t get pilots.
Regulatory reform has been slow and divisive. The Deputy Prime Minister has resorted to an external investigator to sort out differences between the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Agencies are not aligned on a clear policy direction.
General aviation is the nurturing ground for future commercial pilots and aviation workers, but the sector has been neglected.
Safe, comfortable and affordable air travel is a reality for thousands more Australians as larger jets service more regional airports, but those airports still struggle to deliver the necessary infrastructure.
Long haul, low cost carriers are looking for opportunities in Australia that would be a great boost to our tourism industry.
Great advances in aircraft technology and types are creating challenges and opportunities that must be tapped – not just the large passenger jets, but the emerging air taxi and business jet market using very light jets and highly efficient modern business piston engine craft.
The Howard Government has not prepared for the future. They have no plan to harvest these opportunities.
During the first twelve months in office, a Rudd Labor Government will work with the aviation industry to develop an national plan – Australia’s Future Aviation Plan.
A NATIONAL AVIATION PLAN
The Australia’s Future Aviation Plan will set a framework for Australian aviation for the next 20 years and include the following elements:
1. Future growth and capability gaps -
A detailed analysis of future passenger, movement and freight growth is required, including an expose of any policy or regulatory barriers and capability gaps threatening the achievement of that growth.
2. An integrated approach to redressing capability gaps –
The plan will integrate all sectors of the aviation industry. The industry has been fragmented. To meet the requirements of future growth in air travel, all sectors have a role to play.
3. World leader in aviation training –
There is a significant unrealised export earning potential in our region for provision of pilot, maintenance engineering, air traffic control, aviation fire fighting and airport operations training.
The plan will give primary focus to options to redress the current skill gap for Australia’s growth, but will also include a strategy to grow Australia’s aviation training export earnings and reputation of Australian training organisations.
4. A more cohesive Government approach, with improved co-ordination across agencies and leveraging opportunities from sharing civilian and defence aviation assets.
5. General Aviation – General aviation is struggling and needs renewal. The partnership between airport owners and general aviation industry needs rebuilding. Privatisation of airports was not intended to result in the damage to this important relationship, but it has caused damage at some airports. Both sides need to work together to prepare for the future.
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Labor will bring the industry together with a cohesive vision for the future.
We can not sustain a future that sees the major carriers draining pilots trained by smaller regional airlines without investing in that training.
General aviation is under threat. The shape of the industry is changing.
The Howard Government’s industry action agenda has been deliberating for too long with no outputs.
Labor will encourage the early release of findings and urgently implement recommendations that will deliver for general aviation.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
Australia must take a sensible approach to reducing aviation’s impact on the environment and avoid solutions – such as those applied in Europe - that impose more costs on industry and the travelling public.
With current growth predictions and our reliance on aviation, Australia has to be a leader in creative solutions.
A significant reduction in emissions can be achieved through improved aircraft and navigation technologies and improved air traffic management.
As the jet fleet is renewed for quieter and more fuel efficient aircraft, industry is playing a role.
Airservices Australia has done a lot to improve air traffic management techniques and introduced a range of new measures to reduce fuel burn.
But more can be done.
Labor will challenge Airservices Australia to improve its practices and become a world leader in emissions friendly air traffic management practices.
This will include the development and reporting of indicators that enable measurement and tracking of aviation emissions and the effect of improved air traffic management practices.
MAKING IT EFFICIENT
An important part of preparing for the future is reducing the amount of delay and congestion in the aviation network.
Labor will also require airlines, airports and Airservices to work together to share information and monitor and reduce the cost of delay and congestion in our national aviation network, especially on the major interstate sectors.
KEEPING IT SAFE
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has not responded well to governance changes introduced by the Howard Government.
Labor enabled bi-partisan support for those changes, but they have clearly not improved the level of public accountability or regulatory outcomes.
The Howard Government has conceded all is not well - recently acting on the Queensland Coroner’s advice to conduct an external review of the relationship between the safety regulator (CASA) and the accident investigator (ATSB).
But this review does not go far enough.
Labor will appoint a small management Board and provide it with full delegation to manage the safety regulator. It will be a competent, professional board with the respect of Government, the community, business and the aviation industry.
It is not only the governance structure that has to change at CASA, but also its roles, responsibilities and culture.
Labor will separate the policy and regulatory reform function from that of compliance and enforcement.
There is a role for industry stakeholders in the first, but not in the second.
Regulatory reform and modernisation must be a priority for CASA.
AIRSERVICES
The previous Labor Government established Airservices and CASA as the first step toward separation of the regulatory functions from the air navigation service provision functions.
After twelve years, the Howard Government finally completed another important step when the airspace regulatory functions were removed from Airservices. But some environment regulatory functions still remain in Airservices.
Labor will ensure that all regulatory functions are removed from Airservices.
Airservices is playing an important leadership role in the improvement of aviation safety in our region. This is an important neighbourly role, but also an important function for Australian travellers.
For ten years, the Howard Government has dithered on the introduction of competition for aviation fire fighting and control tower services. After ten years of policy flapping and indecision, they refuse to concede that the policy is wrong.
Labor will not contract out aviation fire fighting or control tower services, but will require Airservices to demonstrate efficiencies to reduce the cost of these services to industry.
The cost of safety services must not be a barrier to their introduction, so it is critical that Airservices improves the efficiency of its service delivery while improving safety outcomes.
Labor will not privatise Airservices.
NETWORK CHARGING
Labor will not permit Airservices to return to location specific charging that leads to prohibitive cost imposts on regional Australians.
Airservices must work with airlines and airports to ensure that any new charging arrangements do not disadvantage regional Australia, ensure adequate returns to cover innovation and investment in new technologies and deliver a healthy return to the Australian Government.
AIRSPACE REFORM
The Howard Government has allowed airspace management to become politicised and captured by personal agendas of powerful individuals.
This will not continue under Labor.
The Office of Airspace Regulation, in consultation with Airservices Australia, will review the Australian Air Traffic Management Plan and remove aspects of the National Airspace System (NAS) that are not appropriate for Australia.
Labor will withdraw the Howard Government’s unnecessary radar direction. That direction issued to Airservices would impose unjustifiable costs on industry and had no safety or business case rationale.
INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Both the aviation industry and the bureaucracy could benefit from an active exchange of information and ideas.
Labor will investigate options for a two way secondments or exchanges program designed to enhance industry knowledge in the Department and improve decision making.
INTERNATIONAL AIR SERVICES
International aviation is critical to the Australian economy and our participation in the world.
Air Service Agreements must be used to maximise the return for Australia as a nation, not for individual airports.
Labor will ensure that jobs and opportunities for the Australian airline industry are accorded highest priority when negotiating these bilateral agreements on a country to country basis.
AIRPORTS ACT
Labor will ensure that airports consult State and Local governments in relation to airport developments.
Labor will designate an Airport Development and Aviation Noise Ombudsman to receive complaints in relation to aircraft noise and development in populated areas and serve as a point of liaison with the Minister on these matters.