[Peetwo]

PMC to reign in regulator red tape embuggerance? - Yeah right! 

Via the Mandarin:

Regulator performance role to be established within PM&C

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By Shannon Jenkins

Friday October 2, 2020

 Ben Morton (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

The assistant minister to the prime minister and cabinet wants the Australian Public Service to shift its culture by taking a stewardship approach to deregulation.

In an address on the government’s deregulation agenda on Friday, Ben Morton said a new regulator performance role would be established within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to drive that cultural change, as well as increase accountability, promote best practice, and build professionalism of regulators.

Morton noted that while regulators across the government face a number of common issues, the approach to setting expectations for regulators has been inconsistent.

With its new regulator performance role, PM&C will work with ministers and their agencies to “lift and lock in regulator performance across the board”. Morton said this would promote more systematic expectation setting, reporting, and monitoring, fostering a culture of “regulator excellence” across the commonwealth.

“This isn’t about being a ‘regulator of regulators’ … It is about better coordination and data sharing, more rational and ultimately effective, risk based compliance monitoring, and footprint mapping with a view to possible streamlining,” he said.

“It’s about measuring, benchmarking and evaluating regulator performance, and streamlining and consolidating performance reporting at a whole-of-government level … It’s also about providing forums for regulators to learn and share best practice, including new or agile regulatory approaches, developing approaches for professional development.”

PM&C will also lead a training pilot with the Australian Public Service Commission and the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment to lift the performance of agricultural export regulators and to lay the foundation for regulator upskilling and training across government.

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Read more: Cutting the red tape burden: where public servants come in

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In August 2019, the prime minister tasked Morton with “revitalising” the regulatory reform and deregulation agenda through the establishment of a Deregulation Taskforce within the Treasury.
Morton said the Deregulation Taskforce has now moved from the Treasury to PM&C, so it is “co-located with and tightly integrated to the rest of our whole-of-government deregulatory machinery”.

Through the upcoming budget, the Deregulation Taskforce will receive additional funding to allow it to continue and in an expanded capacity. Following the budget, taskforce head Mark Cully will depart his role and Jason McDonald will take the lead.


Taking a stewardship approach

A process has been established through the Secretaries Board allowing government to take a stewardship approach to “regulatory excellence”, with secretaries reporting to Scott Morrison and Morton every six months on progress with deregulation and deregulation opportunities.

Morton said he wants APS leaders to “drive their own deregulation buses within their portfolios” by removing unnecessary regulation, streamlining regulatory processes across jurisdictions, and driving the “harmonisation” of regulation between different parts of the commonwealth and between the commonwealth and other domestic and international jurisdictions.

“When we’ve achieved this cultural change, we’ll know our ‘stewardship’ approach has really taken root,” he said.

He noted the combination of a stewardship approach, PM&C’s new role in lifting regulator performance, and the complementary work with the APSC would together improve regulator culture and client focus.

“While less immediately tangible, I feel it’s this measure which has the potential to deliver the most in the medium to longer term,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Secretaries Board, the Deregulation Taskforce, the national cabinet and the Council on Federal Financial Relations would act as “the vehicles which ministers and their agencies can use to streamline their stock of regulation”, and the Office of Best Practice Regulation would ensure “their flow of regulation is lightest touch”.

“The levers and the architecture we’ve established and we’re establishing at the centre of government can help departments and agencies bring a whole-of-government and coordinated approach to deregulation … This lean, but multifaceted architecture will make it easier for business, while fulfilling community expectations of providing proper safeguards,” he said.

Via Oz Flying:

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Aviation Regulation in Government Sights
9 October 2020
Comments 0 Comments


Indications coming from Canberra are that the Federal Government may be investigating ways to reduce the burden of aviation regulation.

In a speech delivered to the Business Council of Australia on 2 October, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ben Morton outlined the Morrison government's agenda of deregulation designed to support economic recovery.

"To be clear, deregulation isn’t about getting rid of all regulation," Morton said. "It’s about getting rid of unnecessary, disproportionate, and inefficiently implemented regulation. It’s about the ease of doing business.

"Well designed, efficiently implemented regulation has always had a place in Australia. It is essential to good government, a safe community and a growing economy."

Morton also said that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet would establish a taskforce to ensure a consistent approach across all regulators.

"Regulators across the Government face varying issues and their stakeholders can be quite different," Morton said. "Nevertheless, there are a number of common issues regardless of the complexity of the regulatory framework or the stakeholder group.

"These include ensuring that their interactions with the community they regulate are clear and that they assist with compliance where appropriate."

In answering questions posed by Australian Flying, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) declined to specifically state that aviation would be included in the new deregulation agenda, but did say that all regulators in all industries would be involved.

"PM&C will work with all Government policy departments, providing a consistent and coordinated approach to how they share and embed improved regulator performance," a spokesperson said. "It will cover all Commonwealth regulators, across all sectors.

"The new function will focus on identifying and sharing best practice, ensuring transparency of expectations, and building capability."

However, the power to regulate aviation safety lies not with any governmental department, but in the hands the CASA Director of Aviation Safety (DAS), a safeguard against political interference. Consequently, any deregulation agenda put forward will need the co-operation of CASA for it to succeed.

The impact of the regulatory burden on general aviation was also recognised on 1 October, when the Federal Government published the issues paper The Future of Australia's Aviation Sector: Flying to Recovery. The paper focuses largely on airlines, but singles out GA as one area that stands to benefit from reduced regulation.

Citing the 2017 General Aviation Study conducted by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE), the paper acknowleges the challenges faced by GA in Australia.

"Recent data from the General Aviation Survey shows stagnation in certain sectors such as private flying and sport and recreational aviation," the paper states. "However, other sectors, including aerial work, are experiencing periods of growth.

"The Study outlined key challenges facing the industry such as fluctuations in the cost and availability of [avgas] and maintenance of an ageing fixed-wing VH-registered fleet.

"Stakeholders ... suggest that improvements to safety regulation would increase prospects for the sector's growth,and that assistance to build a broader skill set in areas of business management could support increased viability."

The paper notes that the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport's General Aviation Advisory Network (GAAN) is already charged with identifying improvement opportunities in regulation and that the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport (RRAT) is conducting an inquiry in the GA industry.

"This Issues Paper is not proposing to duplicate these processes," the paper says. "However, stakeholders are welcome to put forward options to further enhance GA's contribution to the economy and the community."

The full issues paper is on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications website.

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MTF...P2 

Long as I can see the light – or;

Did you ever watch the 'real deal' at work? Proper masters of their craft; the LAME with fingers like a muscular centipede fixing a thing within heartbeats; or, a cabinet maker chop out a two inch deep mortise within a thousandth of an inch, dead plumb, and make it look simple; or, any master of their craft 'nailing it'? Well, watch this space – HERE - . PM&C are the 'real deal' not to many apprentices or worker drones get to be in that crew. IF and it's not too big an 'if' they can see a way to relieve the intolerable burden loaded onto the aviation donkey – then maybe the true masters of the political 'craft' will show their skill. Before this bloody virus turned up, aviation was struggling; to return the industry to its former glory – creating jobs and opportunities, returning revenue and generally being bloody handy it needs a serious hand to 'rationalise' the rules under which the industry must operate to be 'trimmed'.

The wording is 'fluffy' – but if the PM&C weigh in – the excess may just be trimmed off. Up to those with access to the political system to speak up – not for their 'own' agenda but for every struggling man-jack out there trying to earn a honest crust. Fingers crossed children – this is like a movie where the 'hero' manages at the very last minute to save the damsel in distress. (NO GD – I am not wearing dis dress; fool) . Let's all hope that this is not some smoke and mirror placebo.

"PM&C will work with all Government policy departments, providing a consistent and coordinated approach to how they share and embed improved regulator performance," a spokesperson said. "It will cover all Commonwealth regulators, across all sectors. "

Said it a while ago – the only true hope lays within the ambit of the DAS.

“However, the power to regulate aviation safety lies not with any governmental department, but in the hands the CASA Director of Aviation Safety (DAS), a safeguard against political interference. Consequently, any deregulation agenda put forward will need the co-operation of CASA for it to succeed. "

If we are gifted another 'Bum' DAS – its time to toddle off, buy a fishing rod, rent a caravan and make a pilgrimage to the nearest pub every dole cheque day. I shall make a votive offering to the pagan gods which reside in 'K's' old fridge, right next to the keg; they're as good as any and often work small miracles. Expect the worst – hope for the best. That's it.