Truss: Aviation Safety Regulation Review

[Sarcs]

AMROBA - Lack of Government Action

Has the ASRR report and recommendations created a false hope of reform to aviation. Prior to the election, the LNP met with many in the aviation industry and pro-duced the LNP Aviation Policy that was supported by most participants in this industry. The government’s aviation policy published last August has industry support and many are now asking when will anything constructive happen.
“Our vision for aviation in Australia is to help the industry grow in an environment that is safe, competitive and productive.”
Many changes need to happen so the industry can grow in a safe, competitive, productive environment. The reversal of current direction being taken by CASA to create a regulatory environment based on EASA “organisational structure” to all sectors of aviation would be a start. The Minister’s ASRR has produced a report with recom-mendations generally supported by industry partici-pants. This report would change the regulatory direc-tion of CASA but the government has not yet endorsed the recommendations.
‘The public and industry comment period on the Aviation Safety Regulation Review Report is now closed. The Government is considering its response to the Report's recommendations and other matters arising out of the Report.”
The fear and concerns from industry participants is that the bureaucrats reviewing this report will not endorse the recommendations because it will affect the size and responsibility of their future roles. We are aware of interviews being carried out by the same ‘head -hunters’ from Melbourne obviously working with the same criteria as previously used to employ the last 3 CASA Director of Aviation Safety (DAS). Will CASA end up with a new DAS committed to implement the Report or one that will continue on with the direction that CASA has taken under the stewardship of Byron and McCormick. Industry knows that it is others in CASA that are hell -bent on implementing EASA organisation structures to all sectors of aviation. EASA has accepted their blunder but not CASA. If the Report is taken honestly by the government, then the Civil Aviation Act will need to be amended so the outcome of the recommendations for CASA, CASA’s philosophy, its management structure and the development and promulgation of aviation standards comply with the criteria in the report.
Congratulations to Jeff Boyd being appointed as Deputy Chair of the CASA Board. Jeff has AMROBA support for this position and we hope that more aviation persons like Jeff are appointed to the Board. He is only one new ap-pointment, we wait anxiously for the rest to be appointed. The Minister must get the right people so the Board man-ages CASA, not CASA managing the Board.
Over the last decade, creating legislation has become the default approach to aviation safety. You can legislate safety in the design of products but it takes a lot more to create and maintain a safety culture with humans. The challenge to CASA is for them to develop and prom-ulgate requirement for industry participants to follow, without the need to “satisfy” CASA. If CASA standards were written as standards then there is no need to ‘satisfy’ CASA —all CASA needs to confirm is that the applicant/participant is following the standard. Real consultation died some time ago with CASA.
They have an attitude that their regulatory development pro-cess is best for safety without any consideration to the sustainability of the actual participants in this industry. You will get the argument from public servants that there are more than just the aviation regulatory requirements that are affecting the sustainability of various sectors of aviation. However, the same people point out that recrea-tional aviation is booming under a less rigid regime. If this regime is safe, then why isn’t it applied to all like aircraft in Australia? Why are some sectors discriminated against by the application of organisational requirements on sectors where the FAA, for instance, simply depend on individuals to take responsibility? Even if the ASRR Report recommendations were fully adopted, the rest of the regulatory system completed in 12 months, and the philosophy of CASA changed, will it enable the revival of those sectors that are suffering?
Even if the current regulatory system was revamped into the 3 tier system proposed by the Report, would there be a resurgence in those sectors suffering at present. It can, but it will take a determined DAS to bring back life into the aviation industry. All aviation can benefit if the new DAS creates an administrative structure similar to what the ASRR Report recommended and they have a re-sponsibility for safety and sustainability of their respec-tive aviation sectors. Adopting ASRR recommended international standards to all commercial aviation sectors would be the first step.
(From AMROBA newsletter - Volume 11, Issue 08 August — 2014)

MTF...