Latest count is at 1627 signatures, would be nice to take to 2000 or beyond..
A comment from the petition that goes to the heart of this injustice...
After 23 years of being in command of commercial aircraft including 12 years with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and now with a large airline it seems CASA in their infinite wisdom suddenly say I'm unsafe. I have accumulated over 8000 flight hours including over 2000 at night in single pilot IFR operations in full glass cockpit aircraft. What a load of BS! Still I'll line up for the doll if it happens, I've certainly paid enough in taxes over the years.
Although Creamy's post
#431 is somewhat reassuring in regards to the flawed legal argument from CAsA, it is dependent on the matter continuing through to the Federal Court, a process that could possibly be very prolonged, unaffordable and out of reach for JO (& others)...
Quote from Senator Fawcett's latest newsletter (The Fawcett Flyer, July '14):
My background as a test pilot and flying instructor has informed my invovlement in the reform of aviation safety regulation (see article attached which appeared in Australian Aviation Magazine July 2014).
Australia has 36,000 licensed pilots, of whom a small group of around 400 have some colour vision deficiency (CVD) and are now finding their careers under threat from decisions taken by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). For many decades, global aviation authorities have relied on assumptions (first published in 1926) that the inability to distinguish red and green would render an individual unsafe to pilot an aircraft, particularly by night.
These assumptions were challenged in the Adminstrative Appeals Tribunal over 25 years ago and expert witnesses presented a convincing safety case that a CVD did not in fact make a pilot unsafe.
Following this evidence-based ruling, Australia has led the world by allowing pilots with a CVD to fly as the captain or co-pilot of aircraft, engaged in roles ranging from overnight freight to the Flying Doctor. CVD pilots have now flown thousands of hours by day and by night with no safety incidents or concerns as a result of their vision. Even though it has not produced any new evidence to support its decisions, CASA now appears to have decided to wind back these hard won rights (as highlighted on ABC 7:30 recently). While it may be a relatively small group of people whose lives and careers are impacted, it is a matter of justice for those affected, and I will continue to pursue a just outcome for these Australians.
Now although it is reassuring that DF is still very much fighting for the CVD cause, it is apparent that his efforts (so far at least) to garner govt support & funding for JO to be equally represented in the AAT (& potentially the Federal court) have fallen on the very deaf ears of Truss...
Therefore the better option IMO is for the miniscule to stop this lunacy before it gets to the AAT i.e. get back to Reason. However the word is the old DAS is using the CVD matter for his last hoorah to stick it up the IOS (with a middle finger)...
So until such time as the miniscule gets off the pot & actions the ASRR recommendations and appoints a new Board, who in turn appoints a new DAS, the current PMO CVD policy will not change!
SIGN the Petition NOW!
