The Australian: Civil aviation reform summit in the works

[AOPA]

Australia’s general aviation sector is ramping up its reform campaign, planning a summit next month aimed at developing a consensus proposal for changes to the Civil Aviation Act.

The summit will be chaired by former Regional Express managing director Geoff Breust.

The move comes as the Aircraft Owners and *Pilots Association prepares to meet Labor’s Anthony Albanese next week.This week, AOPA executive director Benjamin Morgan and president Marc De Stoop and Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association director Ken Cannane met Transport Minister Michael McCormack to discuss its concerns.Mr Morgan said the group wanted to be in a position where there was support to propose the changes. “The past two decades the process of reform for aviation has been plagued by delay, government reviews, and we are seeking to bring an end to that delay to bring the government a clear consensus so that we may quickly transition to a new act to support growth opportunity.”Invitations to the summit were sent out yesterday to Mr McCormack and Mr Albanese.Earlier this year, businessman and former aviation safety chairman Dick Smith revealed Barnaby Joyce, then transport minister, and Mr Albanese had indicated support for amendments to the Civil Aviation Act.These would have required the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to *operate in a manner that recognised the need for “an *efficient and sustainable Aus*tralian aviation industry”.