Industry keen to fly CASA overhaul June 13, 2014 12:00AM
AVIATION organisations have urged the government to move quickly on a recommended overhaul of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Australia’s regulatory environment.
The Aviation Safety Regulatory Review report, handed to Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss two weeks ago and publicly released last week, called for sweeping reforms of CASA as part of 37 recommendations.
The report called for the changes to the air-safety regulator after criticising it for taking too hard a line and maintaining an adversarial approach to the *industry, which has lost trust in the authority.
Compiled by a panel of experts headed by industry veteran David Forsyth, the report was ordered by Mr Truss in response to industry criticism of CASA and worries about the adequacy of an Australian Transport Safety Board investigation into the 2009 ditching of a medical evacuation jet off Norfolk Island.
It expressed concern about the relationship between CASA and industry, accusing the regulator of adopting “an across-the-board hardline philosophy, which in the panel’s view is not appropriate for an advanced aviation nation such as Australia.’’
CASA boss John McCormick is leaving the authority, along with two board directors, and the report recommended the next director of aviation safety be chosen for leadership and management change abilities rather than for primarily aviation expertise.
The report also called for the CASA board to better govern the organisation, the re-establishment of small offices at major airports, an industry exchange program and changes to regulatory oversight to meet international auditing standards.
Other changes included an overhaul of the long-running regulatory reform process, after it had changed direction several times in the past decade, leading to widespread “reform fatigue’’.
The report recommends a speedy resolution to the current program, that regulations be written in plain English, and a more manageable (but regular) process of regulation maintenance.
On the investigation into the 2009 ditching of a Pel-Air Westwind off Norfolk Island, the panel considered a widely criticised *report of the accident as an aber*ration and not typical of the ATSB’s usually high standard.
It noted Canada’s Transportation Safety Board was completing a review of the TSB and would report shortly, but recommended operational independence of CASA and Airservices Australia.
Umbrella group the Australian Aviation Associations Forum said it hoped the report would be a catalyst for “significant and urgent action” by Mr Truss and endorsed the need to reform CASA’s leadership at both a board and senior management level.
The forum called for a total renewal of the CASA Board, the *appointment of an acting director of air safety to give the board time to recruit a replacement, as well as the establishment of an Aviation Industry Advisory Council “as per coalition policy”.
The forum’s call to action was echoed by the Aerial Agriculture Association of Australia, with AAAA chief executive Phil Hurst saying the industry felt vindicated in its criticism of CASA’s culture.
Mr Hurst said the association believed the position of CASA’s board and senior management was untenable in the face of the criticism and that the board should immediately resign.
“A range of recommendations, including a restructure of CASA to better match industry sectors, delegation of medical certificate issuing to DAMEs (Designated Aviation Medical Examiners) or improvements to the Independent Complaints Commissioner, the establishment of merit decision reviews and greater oversight of CASA by the Department of Infrastructure will make a real difference to performance and should be implemented immediately,’’ Mr Hurst said.
However, the AAAA opposed some recommendations, including the identification to CASA of all aircraft accident operator details.
The Regional Aviation Association of Australia said it endorsed key aspects of the report and looked forward to seeing them implemented. “The RAAA will examine the report in detail and will respond to the government’s invitation to provide feedback by the end of June” said chief executive Paul Tyrrell.
Australian Airports Association chief executive Caroline Wilkie said the recommendations in the report “fundamentally highlight the importance of a more productive and collaborative relationship between the regulator and the aviation industry’’.
She said: “Australia has a well-deserved reputation as a leader in aviation safety, but the independent review has identified areas for improvement which will ensure Australia stays at the forefront of best practice in aviation safety regulation.’’