Election Policies For The Aviation Industry

[Stationair8]

Any of the major parties announced their aviation policies yet?

No doubt The Green's will want a total ban on aviation, to save us from global warming.

[Lead Balloon]

At least the Greens would be being honest.

That cannot be said of the major parties’ vacuous motherhood statements on aviation, when and if they make them.

[Horatio Leafblower]

Clive Palmer was supposedly going to launch his Big Fat Aviation Policy in Wagga this week. Haven't heard how that went?

[Lead Balloon]

It sticks in my craw to say it, but I’ll say it anyway: At least Clive and his merry band of naive candidates might, if elected, do less damage to the Australian aviation industry than the major parties have done in the last couple of decades.

[Superfly Slick Dick]

I’m going to be voting for One Nation.

[runway16]

I have read the policies of both the major parties.

I see no mention of General Aviation.

This country needs to develop life away from the major cities and that in turn requires general aviation. We need to have not only pilots but airports, maintenance workshops, fuelling facilities, engineers and aviation apprentices. I see nothing that has any connection with those items. The only time that politicians have any concern about GA is at election time. If they are unable to get air charter in the country to go and kiss babies and chase votes then they turn around and say 'Oh, why didn't someone tell us about this before now'?

That is what we have been telling them for many years !

The inland country needs to be developed and towns flourish instead of dying. General aviation is the key to that. We need to train pilots who will know more than the words Boeing or Airbus. Pilots who will be able to fly charter, the RFDS, survey, Air Ag, community flights, fly fire bombers, fly station aircraft and using light aircraft for they were designed for. Communication. and many more roles that are not just seeking an airline position. For all that we need a government that takes into consideration the needs of GA and the facilities that GA requires.

CASA has effectively costed and regulated small flying schools and aero clubs out of existence. We have lost that ground swell of youngsters who want to fly and fly for not only the airlines. Fences and ASICS do not help youngsters develop an interest in aviation.
The RAAF recognises this and now has started its own flying interest organisation with their Diamond DA40 aircraft to generate enthusiasm that they hope will lead to youngsters signing up to be RAAF aircrew. Imagine if there is a squadron of F-35s but no aircrew to fly them.
Good for the ADF & RAAF but in the main that does not help the major issue. GA.

The lack of interest and incentives from both parties. We need more words from the likes of Bob Katter and Gordon Rich-Phillips in the corridors of the Federal Government barracking for General Aviation. People who can see that we need to have more attention placed on developing GA instead of letting it wither on the vine.

When you place your vote do consider the lack of interest from both parties towards general Aviation. Be prepared to go toe to toe with the head how to vote person at your poling booth and tell him/her in uncertain what you think about the lack of interest in General Aviation and how that will influence your vote.
Do it!

[thorn bird]

It matters nought what "policies" political parties promulgate for general aviation.
The only policy that CAsA will adhere to, are its own "policies".
Anything the Polliwafflers put out there that CAsA disagree with will simply be subverted, modified or ignored.
Consider the past thirty years, has anything really changed?

[dr dre]

It sticks in my craw to say it, but I’ll say it anyway: At least Clive and his merry band of naive candidates might, if elected, do less damage to the Australian aviation industry than the major parties have done in the last couple of decades.

Clive Palmer (through one of his ads) seems to think FIFO airports in the Pilbara are part of a Chinese plot to invade the country. He’s also made statements linking training airports training foreign students to be a part of a similar conspiracy to invade us or “steal our jobs” and that they should be stopped. Not really great news for any pilots or anyone else employed in the flight training or FIFO sectors then if Clive (or Hanson or Anning or any of the other so called “patriot” parties) get any power.

[triadic]

They don't really care as there are very few votes in aviation..... Until we find something that matters and secures some votes it will sadly stay the same...:ugh:

[YPJT]

He’s also made statements linking training airports training foreign students to be a part of a similar conspiracy to invade us or “steal our jobs” and that they should be stopped
Didn't Dick go on a similar tirade regarding Merredin?

[runway16]

So the election is just a week away. And still both the major parties are telling us on an almost daily basis, what they are going to spend how many millions on what.

But wait a minute! All this money that they are spending or planning to spend is OUR money. It is the money that government has taken from or plans to take from us. It is not coming out of the hip pocket of any Polly.
To describe this situation I think is that old expression, Pork Barrelling. It is all very well for the Pollies to plan to spend millions on this or that but one has to wonder why the money was not spent progressively over the life of the government, Lib or Labour, to the betterment of the Australian people then, instead of this last minute rush to spend or plan to spend OUR money!

With regard to general aviation I still do not see any policy plans to look after GA, encourage people to live in country towns across the nation and so have general aviation do its bit to support those towns. Instead we have a regulator that has costed and regulated general aviation out of existence meanwhile government, past and present, sits on its hands and does nothing, just like Nero when Rome was burning!

Kissing babies at pre-election time is one thing but if there is no General Aviation industry then in future the Pollies will find it hard to get a charter to regional areas to have sandwiches with the ladies of the CWA.

I am looking at both parties that have done nothing to bolster the industry that I have worked in for many years. I am of the thought that they, L & L, have effectively killed off the GA industry in favour of the airlines.
When the airlines say they have pilots knocking on the doors of the HR department but that they do not meet minimum requirements and do not have good hours of general aviation experience then maybe the Pollies will listen, or is a case of the Pollies just whistling up an RAAF flight to get around. Forget GA. Good for the Feds but not for the State Governments.

Come the election date I will be expressing my thoughts to both L&L at the polling booth. I ask that you do the same. And vote accordingly with your tick pencil on the vote card!