[Peetwo]

Skates v  Tezza the (GWM) Fat Control Freak - The battle lines are drawn 

From: Dougy's insight 09 April 2015

"...Please note the press release from The Australian Aviation Associations Forum in this week’s news line up. The release, calling for CASA to tighten its belt before going after more cost recovery, was issued after what I hear was a particularly good session with CAS Mark Skidmore. Apparently though, when the CAS had left the room there was a less engaging position taken by Skidmore’s deputy, which left some in the room seething.


As pointed out by the TAAAF, the basic problem here is the failure of the Minister’s office to get that statement of expectations of CASA out where it can do some good as a reference point. 

I do hear that the ‘new’ CASA board is shaping up well, but again that body desperately needs the statement of expectations to work to. One of the real strengths on the board is Jeff Boyd, who has come out of the same culture that TAAAF - and the RAAA - represents.

The sentiment that I’m picking up from industry is: enough consultation, lets get on with reform.


CASA has now issued its own statement to clarify ‘cost recovery’ and proposed new fees: CASA does not recover the full cost of providing regulatory services. The current proposals relate to the introduction of the new flight crew licensing suite of regulations - with many current fees simply being replaced by fees that apply under the new regulations.  No existing fees will be increased. There are some new fees being proposed.  However, the changes are forecast to be cost neutral due to the old fees being replaced..."

From Oz Flying:

Aviation House: CASA's headquarters in the Canberra suburb of Woden. (Bidgee)


CASA hits back over New Fee Proposals
09 Apr 2015

CASA has responded to calls from The Australian Aviation Associations Forum to cut the cost of regulation rather than introduce new fees.
In a statement sent out today, a CASA spokesperson said they expected that the 90 new fees proposed will not increase the cost of regulation to industry.

"CASA understands concerns within the aviation community about proposed changes to cost recovery for regulatory services and is committed to keeping the costs of aviation safety regulation as low as is possible at all times," the statement says. "CASA does not recover the full cost of providing regulatory services."

"The current proposals relate to the introduction of the new flight crew licensing suite of regulations - with many current fees simply being replaced by fees that apply under the new regulations. No existing fees will be increased.

"There are some new fees being proposed. However, the changes are forecast to be cost neutral due to the old fees being replaced.
"CASA is undertaking full consultation on the proposed fees changes.  The proposed changes were released for comment on 23 February 2015 and the comment period does not close until 23 April 2015. CASA will carefully review all comments on the proposed fee changes and seriously consider all suggestions for amendments or changes.

The statement also says that CASA agrees with the sentiments of the aviation community when it came to efficiency and cost reduction programs, saying it is committed to the Federal Government’s red tape reduction program and the need for new regulations to be cost neutral.

The comment period for the new fee schedule is open until 23 April. Submissions can be made on the CASA website.

Yep game on I reckon...MTF P2

UITA & Gobbles FYI here was a disturbing Oz Flying article on the Rotorhead industry published through the week:

Robinson R44. (Steve Hitchen)

• CASA hits back over New Fee Proposals
  

• Associations belt CASA over New Charges
  

Helicopter Growth Rate slows to almost Zero
08 Apr 2015

Growth in the Australian helicopter industry has slowed to almost zero according to the Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA).
In their quarterly report for January-March 2015, AHIA noted that after 20 years of 7-8% per year growth, there has been very little expansion in the industry since June 2014. In fact, only 10 new rotary-wing aircraft were added to the register since then, a growth of a mere 0.62%.

AHIA Public Officer and Company Secretary Rob Rich blamed several factors for the sudden halt in growth.

"There are many factors causing this setback," he said in the report. "Some are:

• [the] Federal government’s financial problems following the ongoing budget crisis; where the attempt to the cut spending patterns of the last government are striking fierce resistance. This has led to nervous investors on the fringe of the aviation industry
  
• The collapse of the Australian dollar has made acquisition of aviation assets more expensive to buy and operate. The slight increase in aviation tourism activities has only provided token compensation
  
• The Deputy Prime Minister (our defacto Aviation Minister) has been unsuccessful in avoiding the paralysis of the CASA Board and senior management due to key people leaving at end of their contract, after the last election. This situation has run almost 12 months. Sadly, it started at the same time as the roll out of the new CASR legislation began to gather momentum leaving only caretakers at the helm!
  
• The end of the mineral export boom, lower oil prices, long running droughts in northern Australia and general global financial difficulties have added to the latent problems effecting our industry
  
• The unexpected election of a Labor Government in Queensland, and the current political crisis which may force another snap election, has meant policies on management of state resources are not yet been drafted."
  
  

Australia currently has a fleet of 2114 helicopters, made up of 1304 single-engine pistons, 563 single-engine turbines and 247 multi-engine aircraft.

 
Paints a grim picture when you consider that only a year before there was record growth rates in the rotary-wing sector which far & away exceeded any other sector of a struggling GA industry. Is it any wonder then that the AHIA are jumping up & down wanting Skates to get a wriggle on...

However from all reports the current roadblock is not of DAS Skidmore's making (from Dougy's insight quote above)...  

"...Apparently though, when the CDAS had left the room there was a less engaging position taken by Skidmore’s deputy, which left some in the room seething..."

This division within - apparently lead by the GWM, A380 endorsed, Chardonnay drinking, geriatric, Fat Controller Tezza - was also highlighted in the Steve Creedy rehash of the CASA vs TAAAF story:

Call for CASA to tighten belt not fees  

by: STEVE CREEDY



Aviation Editor
Sydney


The peak body representing ­aviation industry groups has called on the air safety regulator to “tighten its belt’’ rather than introduce a raft of new charges related to controversial rule changes.  

The Australian Aviation Associations Forum was responding to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s recently released cost recovery implementation statement.

The regulator is not proposing in the draft policy to increase the overall amount it is seeking from the industry, even though it ­predicts revenues from regulatory services this financial year will fall more than $25 million short of costs. While it is not planning to raise ­existing fees, which have ­traditionally produced cost recovery revenue from aviation regulatory services of below $15m, it has proposed applying hourly rates to several new areas.

Many of these are associated with the controversial introduction of new Part 61 regulations on flight crew licensing that have ­angered aviation groups at the small end of town. They include new fees for testing, approvals, professional development and ­endorsements.

The industry forum says about 90 new fees associated with Part 61 will be introduced as a result of the proposed cost recovery policy and has called on CASA instead to boost efficiency and review activities that contributed little to ­aviation safety.

“At a time when many aviation industry sectors are suffering a ­significant economic downturn due to the end of the mining boom, drought in two states and a multi-decade general decline in activity, all parts of the industry have had to tighten their belts and CASA’s regulatory services should not be immune,’’ the forum said in a ­communiqué.

“On one side sits the government’s budget predicament, government’s red tape reduction plan, the government direction regarding new regulations having to be cost-neutral on industry, and the government’s announced adoption of most of the recommendations of the highly critical Forsyth Aviation Review.

“In this environment, it is not appropriate for CASA to propose some 90 new charges related to the bungled new Part 61 for pilot licensing, and to maintain complex bureaucratic systems that fail to deliver efficiency.’’

"..The forum said industry was concerned about the lack of ­urgency in reform and denial of the Forsyth report criticisms “by a cohort of long term-managers within CASA." .."

The new CASA Director of Aviation Safety and the revamped board are clearly engaged and ­focused on the challenging job at hand,’’ TAAAF said.
“They should make no mistake as to industry’s hostile reception of the CRIS proposal to simply ­increase charges before an ­attempt to improve ­efficiency.’’

The forum also reiterated concerns that Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss had yet to deliver a letter telling CASA what was expected of it.
It said the letter should include a clear direction for CASA to reduce costs, up to and including a reduction in staff.

It also called on Mr Truss to ­direct the regulator to a joint ­industry-CASA taskforce to review all charges and the efficiency of the systems behind them “with a view to eliminating activities and their accompanying charges where they make no contribution to safety’’.

CASA said it understood ­concerns within the aviation ­community about the proposed cost recovery changes and it was committed to keeping the costs of aviation safety regulation as low as is possible at all times.

The authority said it did not recover the full cost of providing regulatory services and the current proposals relating to the new flight crew licensing rules would see many current fees simply replaced by fees applying under the new regulations.

“No existing fees will be increased,’’ it said.

“There are some new fees being proposed. However, the changes are forecast to be cost-neutral due to the old fees being replaced.’’
The authority also emphasised it was undertaking full consultation on the proposed fee changes and the comment period did not close until April 23.

“CASA will carefully review all comments on the proposed fee changes and seriously consider all suggestions for amendments or changes,’’ it said.

    
Hmm...might have to drag out the PAIN dirt file on Tezza & his corrupt mates in the Iron Ring...

MTF...you bet P2

From Oz Flying - The Last Minute Hitch: 10 April 2015

...CASA and The Australian Aviation Associations Forum have both had their say on the new fees schedule proposed. Naturally, TAAAF has paid out on the regulator, drawing a pretty solid defence from CASA. Neither party is staffed with idiots, so how can such polarised views come from the same discussion paper? TAAAF's contention that CASA needs to control costs is absolutely right, so much so that CASA agrees with it! CASA states quite emphatically that the fees don't recover all the costs and the 90 new ones to be introduced replace old ones that are being phased out as Part 61 phases in. Ah ... Part 61. There is a lot said in that little title. Part 61 on licensing has not gone down well with anyone in the industry, and now CASA says they are going to charge us for what TAAAF describes as a "debacle." No-one likes being charged for a debacle, so maybe the fee structure would have been better accepted had CASA first proven the new system was worth paying for.

The Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) has noted the sudden stall in growth figures in the rotary aviation sector. After 20 years of good news, it's probably fair that they are alarmed about it all. Of all the reasons attributed, perhaps the most telling is the downturn in the resources sector. Like most of Australia, we've been relying heavily on mining and exploration for money to flow into the industry, but now the flow is starting to ebb a bit, we need to think about new income streams. Not so easy to do in the helicopter industry (or fixed-wing for that matter) because any mission that needs a rotary and can sustain the cost is already doing it ... that's what 20 years of growth has been about...

MTF..P2