Crop-dusters give CASA a spray in submission to federal inquiry
THE nation’s crop-dusting and aerial firefighting body has savaged the aviation regulator as a “low trust organisation” that is “dysfunctional at every level”.
In a scathing submission to the federal government’s inquiry into aviation safety regulation, the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia — representing about 300 pilots and 130 operators — called for a complete overhaul of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
“CASA is now performing so poorly as to demand significant change of its internal management and its relationship with *industry so as to implement practical systems that will lead to commonly accepted benchmarks of practice and outcomes,” the AAAA said.
“CASA is dysfunctional at nearly every level, its relationship with industry has been junked, and it is suffering from such a pathological culture that major surgery will be required to realign the organisation with the common hallmarks of a sound safety regulator.”
The AAAA submission joins a large number of complaints lodged with the inquiry critical of CASA.
CASA is expected to be forced into a shake-up after the inquiry’s report is completed and handed to the Infrastructure Minister, Warren Truss, late this month.
Last week, inquiry chairman David Forsyth told The Australian “well over” 270 submissions had been received — double the number expected — with the *operations of CASA a key concern among respondents.
A major issue had been the agency repeatedly changing its mind over which overseas jurisdiction it would follow in terms of streamlining Australia’s aviation laws, with three major changes in direction over the past 20 years.
It has also been accused by *industry of using unnecessarily complex terminology, the Australian Federation of Air Pilots calling for regulations to be *“rewritten in plain English”.
CASA declined to comment when contacted this week by The Australian .
The head of the agency, John McCormick, has announced that he will not be seeking to renew his position when his contract *expires.
However, a replacement has not been announced.
The top job at CASA has long been a largely thankless role, but industry insiders say the agency’s operations have been growing worse. The AAAA represents 130 “application operators” nationwide, and about 300 pilots, which it says represents three-quarters of all operators and 90 per cent of aircraft in use.
In addition to its original 41-page submission to the inquiry, the AAAA has submitted a supplementary submission, indicating the inquiry has sought more information and is keenly interested in its views.
In the supplementary submission, the AAAA identified four “key deficiencies” it saw with the Civil Aviation Act 1988.
They included the lack of cost/benefit analysis of the CASA regulations and the “lack of the principles of fostering and promoting aviation as an integral responsibility of the regulator”.
The AAAA also complained there was “no clear delineation” between the level of regulator *resources to be dedicated to pas*senger aircraft regulation compared to aerial work and private aviation.
There was also a lack of board power to “actively engage in improving” the management of CASA through “directing the CEO”.