Originally Posted by
Old Fella
My question has been, and still is, what have I done to have to undergo further investigation to allow me to hold an ASIC so that I can now operate a 'puddle jumper" from a regional airport as a PPL? If one is permitted to hold a valid aircrew licence and has been assessed as able to hold an ASIC it seems common sense to me that they should each be valid in perpetuity unless reason for suspension is found. Renewals of the ASIC, whether annually, at two, five or ten year periods is nothing more than revenue raising IMHO.
I think it's possibly because there are people who wouldn't declare criminal convictions. The best method would be a perpetual ASIC with the requirement to report any criminal convictions to the authorities (high range speeding or drink driving are offences that would require declaration), similar to how you must report a medical condition that appears to CASA/DAME. The problem is, for minor offences like the two I suggested (in the scheme of things compared to assault, robbery, rape, murder, etc) many people wouldn't realise it's actually a criminal offence that needed to be reported. The second issue is that if someone is a criminal and commits armed robbery for example, they're unlikely to follow the law and report their offence to CASA are they? Most criminals wouldn't be deliberately giving a security clearance card up for the sake of it.
Hence, we're left in the current situation of regular renewals. I really can't think of a better way that would still satisfy the government/regulators for people who commit an offence after receiving the initial ASIC. I'd be just as pleased as anyone else to see a workable solution though.