[Peetwo]

It seems the Miniscule's SOE of CASA story - RE: CASA April missive & miniscules SOE - has created some interest from a few of the aviation media outlets...

1st from Dougy's insight 23 April 2015:


Next from Hitchen:

Warren Truss has handed CASA a Statement of Expectations to cover the next two years. (Steve Hitchen)


Truss hands CASA Statement of Expectations
23 Apr 2015

 
Finally from Oz Aviation:

Minister Truss issues new statement of expectations for CASA


April 23, 2015 by

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss has issued a fresh Statement of Expectations (SOE) for the board of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

The new SOE will apply until June 30 2017 and calls on the CASA board to, among other things, “continue to focus on aviation safety as the highest priority” and operate as a world leading aviation safety regulator.

It also says CASA should “maintain high standards of professionalism, service, probity, reporting, accountability and transparency”.

And the SOE asks CASA to provide a plan for how it will implement the relevant recommendations in the Aviation Safety Regulatory Review (ASRR) in an effective and timely manner.

CASA Director of Aviation Safety (DAS) Mark Skidmore said in his April Briefing Note the “finishing touches” were being made to its response to the ASRR.

“This plan sets out in detail how CASA will achieve the Government’s requirements and when actions are scheduled be completed, with some being ongoing,” Skidmore said.

“Key elements of the implementation plan will be fully embedded in CASA’s 2015-16 to 2018-19 corporate plan. By doing this CASA’s goals will be clearly and publicly stated and our performance in reaching these goals will be reported to the Government, the aviation community and the general community.

“In other words, we are being open and honest with everyone in our commitment to deliver on the Government’s response to the review.”
Skidmore said CASA had also started work on a longer-term strategic plan for the next 15 years, called Flight Plan 2030.

“My aim is to establish a common understanding with the aviation and wider community about how we will continue to deliver optimal aviation safety outcomes, while responding to a dynamic and growing aviation industry,” Skidmore said.

“CASA recognises positive engagement with the aviation community is necessary to develop and implement the best possible safety standards, deliver effective safety education and get the right operational outcomes.

Meanwhile, CASA said changes to the rules for the commercial operation of small remotely piloted aircraft were being finalised and expected to come in during the second half of 2015.

“These changes will remove the requirement for commercial operations of remotely piloted aircraft weighing less than two kilograms to have approvals from CASA as long as the flights are conducted according to standard operating conditions,” CASA said.

Skidmore added: “We are considering the long term integration of remotely piloted aircraft into aviation operations in all classes of airspace. However, there are significant technological advances, regulatory changes, training and skills, procedures, documentation and education that need to happen before integration into all classes of airspace can take place.

CASA sought comment on proposed rule changes for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) in 2014.

 
And from MMSM Steve....oh that's right we have to wait till midnight for him...

Here he is and it was worth the wait as Creedy has gone to a bit of effort with this one... :

CASA must consider cost of regulation: Warren Truss  

• by: STEVE CREEDY
  
• From: The Australian
  
• April 24, 2015 12:00AM
  

Aviation Editor
Sydney




Warren Truss has urged CASA to engage co-operatively with the aviation industry. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images
 
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority will be required to consider the economic and cost impact of regulation as well as implement the Forsyth review in a timely manner as part of a long-awaited statement of expectations sent by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss.  

The letter requires the regulator to undertake “effective and ongoing engagement with the aviation industry’’.

It said this should create an effective collaborative relationship between CASA and the industry “based on a foundation of mutual understanding and respect’’.

CASA should also be guided by the key aviation safety principles set out in government’s response to the Aviation Safety Regulation Review chaired by industry veteran David Forysth and provide a plan on how it would do this in an “effective and timely manner’’.

It also calls on CASA to review the operations and functions of the Office of Airspace Regulation and to work with the ATSB in a way that was informed by “just culture’’ principles.

Mr Truss told The Australian the CASA letter and a similar statement of expectations sent to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau fulfilled a promise arising from the Forsyth Review.

“The key changes are obviously that they should implement the findings of the review and also my expectation is that they will seek to develop a co-operative relationship with all sectors of the industry,’’ he said.

The minister said CASA still had a key role of ensuring safety.

“It’s not a radical change from the previous arrangements but we want a culture in CASA of working with the industry to achieve good safety outcomes,’’ he said.

The statement was welcomed by industry groups representing the smaller end of the aviation sector, who have been at loggerheads over new regulations, particularly new Part 61 rules governing flight crew licensing.

Industry groups have claimed the rules are difficult to understand, badly constructed and potentially damaging to aviation operators.

CASA came under intense fire last year when the Forysth review called for sweeping reforms and criticised CASA for taking too hard a line and maintaining an adversarial approach to the industry, which had lost trust in the authority. The federal government agreed to 32 of the 37 recommendations, scotched one and said four others needed further review.

The report was ordered by Mr Truss in response to industry criticism of CASA and concerns about the adequacy of the Australian Transport Safety Board’s ­investigation into the 2009 Pel-Air ditching of an air ambulance off Norfolk Island.

It accused the regulator of adopting “an across-the-board hard-line philosophy, which in the panel’s view is not appropriate for an advanced aviation nation such as Australia’’.

The authority and the ATSB were also the subject of a highly critical 2013 Senate committee report into the authority’s role in an investigation of the Pel-Air crash.

Responding to the statement, CASA director of aviation safety Mark Skidmore said the authority was making finishing touches to a plan detailing how it would implement the government’s response to the Forsyth review.

Mr Skidmore said the plan would set out in detail how and when CASA would achieve the government’s requirements.

“Key elements of the implementation plan will be fully embedded in CASA’s 2015-16 to 2018-19 corporate plan,’’ he said.
“By doing this, CASA’s goals will be clearly and publicly stated and our performance in reaching these goals will be reported to the government, the aviation community and the general community.

“In other words, we are being open and honest with everyone in our commitment to deliver on the government’s response to the review.’’
Mr Skidmore revealed he was also working on a longer-term strategic plan called Flight Plan 2030, which would broadly set out the authority’s objectives in the next 15 years.

“My aim is to establish a common understanding with the aviation and wider community about how we will continue to deliver optimal aviation safety outcomes, while responding to a dynamic and growing aviation industry,’’ he said.
“A key element of these plans will be the way in which CASA engages with the aviation community.’’

Mr Skidmore said he was committed to “an appropriate safety partnership where we all play our roles in getting the best from the aviation safety system’’.

“Part of this is being open to criticism and I can assure everyone that where CASA is deservedly criticised we will listen carefully and respond in the right way,’’ he said.

“I can give an assurance that the causes of problems will be investigated and actions taken to make sure mistakes are rectified and not repeated.’’

Regional Aviation Association of Australia chief executive Paul Tyrrell welcomed the fact the letter was in the public arena and said it meant CASA and the other agencies had been issued their riding instructions by the minister.

He said the association supported strongly the government’s call for CASA to look at the ­economic and cost impact on businesses.

“That’s a really important one to us, that before they make regulatory changes they do look at the cost as per the minister’s orders,’’ Mr Tyrrell said.

Mr Tyrrell also welcomed Mr Truss’s instruction to effectively engage with the industry and work collaboratively.

“One thing that’s missing that we were a bit disappointed about is the harmonisation of our regs with international regs,’’ he said.
“That’s been in the other statements and we see that as a gap with this one. We would politely ask the minister to maybe have an addendum to this statement regarding international harmonisation of regs.’’

Mr Tyrrell said he hoped the statement would lead to a cultural shift at CASA, particularly given Mr Skidmore’s appointment and changes on the board.

“It’s quite clear that the board has the job of developing and implementing the policy along with the DAS,’’ he said. “There’s never been a better chance to achieve the change that the industry’s been calling for seven or eight years now. We’ll never get such a good chance again and if we miss this one then God help the industry.’’

Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia chief executive Phil Hurst said the statement had been warmly received and was detailed enough to provide a sensible and practical way forward.

“But clearly the minister’s letter now puts the full glare of the spotlight on to the performance of the CASA board and the CASA senior management,’’ he said.

“So for us, the days of waiting for action are over and we look forward to working with CASA to remedy many of the problems we’ve identified.’’

Mr Hurst said the Part 61 rules — which remained “an ongoing weeping sore’’ — were at the top of industry’s agenda for action by CASA.
The association has also called for the CASA’s cost recovery discussion paper to be withdrawn pending the establishment of a joint task force with industry to identify ways of improving efficiency.

Now that's more like it, well done SC...

MTF...P2