I've been wondering how to express the deep unease I feel over CASA, but now I'm game to try.
My conclusion is that CASA is going to suffer administrative implosion unless the Truss review puts it out of its misery and dismembers it.
The trigger for this conclusion was the attendance list at the alleged "safety forum". This is not good on any number of levels.
By "administrative implosion", I mean that CASA is going to collapse under the weight and complexity of its attempts at regulation in the sense that none of it is going to be coherent and consistent, leading to the situatoin where its contradictory nature requires that all Aviation activity is going to have to be covered by exemptions.
To put that another way, its the administrativve equivalent of a gravitational "black hole" where all matter and energy is sucked into it and nothing can escape the event horizon.
To be fair to CASA, there would be good people inside who wish to do the right things, but at some point the administrative complexity of doing anything at all is just too hard. The attendance list of CASA folk at that safety forum is indicative of too many layers of management and competing agendas.
Of course the solution proffered to the Truss review will be the old chestnut: "reorganisation" when I believe what is required is complete dismemberment.
There needs to be adoption of the NZ/FAA regulations, that is a given. This is the only alternative to the ridicule that faces Government if it proceeds with the current mess.
The functions of regulation, surviellance and enforcement need to be split and totally divorced from each other and the ATSB replaced on its pedestal at arms length from all of them. As I have said before, the boys and girls at PM & C know how to do this.
And finally the preamble of an amended Act has to include words to the effect that Aviation industry is to be fostered, removing forever the option of achieiving the appearance of safety by preventing any aviation at all.
Last edited by Sunfish; 8th May 2014 at 00:49.