--- and the word is he has the backing of the Libs hierarchy!
Sarcs,
Add to that the Nationals, who have always taken a much greater interest in aviation, as a whole, than the Liberal Party.
It is reasonable to say that both the Minister and the Opposition realise there is something seriously wrong in the aviation sector, but nothing is going to change under this government, aviation just doesn't rate political attention, given the government is in survival mode.
The Minister's White Paper was theoretically a good idea, in practice, it is so much waste paper. It doesn't even begin to address the long running question "what's wrong with CASA", best illustrated by CASA opposition to regulatory reform --- except in its own terms ---- the real reason for the "failure" of regulatory reform over so many years ---- and what we are seeing now could hardly be called "reformed".
Prescriptive, complex, contradictory, inflexible, inappropriate to modern risk management, criminal law from top to bottom (instead of some civil law) ensuring Australia is internationally uncompetitive, and many more --- but not "reformed" and so far from internationally harmonized it is a sad result.
Or what's wrong with AsA, why is ATSB so ineffective, why we are losing aerodromes --- despite leases/ALOP deed that should preserve them.
Senators Heffernan, Fawcett, Eggleston and Xenephon are all very genuine on their concerns, expressed at successive Senate hearing, they are not "just playing politics".
Tootle pip!!