[Peetwo]

Indiana Joyce and the Raiders of the Bottomless Trough -   

From the 20/20 thread:

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Please Sir - A GANDER AT THE GAAN??

Ref: 12.1 Supplementary to submission 12 (PDF 461 KB) & Today's NT GA inquiry Public Hearing in pictures.

For now the GAAN report is yet to be tabled...(sigh - )...but perhaps we can make some conclusions from the hinted at GAAN submission to the FAASIP (Future of Australia's Aviation Sector Issues Paper)??

Consistent with its more recent practice, GAAN members have recently completed a Policy Note document outlining a strategic approach to a simplified Classification of Operations, which is linked to the development and implementation of Sector Risk Profiles for different types of general aviation operations. A simplified Classificaton of Operations would deliver greater regulatory efficiency, clarify priorities and enhance safety outcomes, whilst lowering the costs of compliance and barriers to entry.

In addition, GAAN members are currently preparing two further Policy Note documents. One will deal with airspace classification and management, while the other will provide a condensed strategy for the sector's ongoing viability. It is currently anticipated that both documents will be completed towards, or soon after, the end of calendar year 2020.

The GAAN's plan for general aviation has the following ten strategic initiatives:

1. Economic review of the sector to identify its value to the economy, look behind frontline participants to the users of, and demand for, general aviation services and to stimulate investment in fleet renewal and sector expansion;
2. GA's relationship with CASA and others, to address cultural, systemic and practice-based issues;
3. Review of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 to make the law fit-for-purpose, remove irrelevancies, promote international harmonisation, serve as a head of power for ongoing reform, improve CASA's governance and reduce the potential for impediments to innovation and economic harm;
4. Airspace for GA operations, to address equitable airspace access and support for new technologies; and airports and infrastructure facilities and policy to support general aviation flight and ground-based activities for all aspects of the sector;
5. Adoption of a simplified Classification of Operations;
6. Application of Sector Risk Profiles (in conjunction with a simplified Classification of Operations and consistent with the above);
7. Cooperative regulation principles, to leverage industry expertise for shared safety outcomes;
8. Reform of GA-specific parts of the regulatory set, to repair recently­ introduced obligations on industry that have increased costs and complexity in several parts of the GA sector;
9. Improved management of CASA, directed to continuous improvement, quality assurance, complaints handling, engagement and decision making; and
10. Training pathways to assure the ongoing availability of skills and competencies for the sector, by dealing with student support programs, duplication between government agencies, for better outcomes for trainees and reduced cost and complexity for industry.

As the GAAN continues to develop these policy recommendations, it will observe its operating protocols and so report directly to the Minister.

GAAN review finally published...   

A New Strategy for the Australian General Aviation Sector


Executive Summary and Synopsis

Consistent with its role and through its regular meetings, the GAAN has developed this strategic
paper to assist government in its consideration of General Aviation issues and opportunities, on
behalf of the sector as a whole, in order to frame and communicate its recommended strategy for
the sector’s success.

The GAAN’s vision for General Aviation in Australia is as follows:

A critical aviation sector contributing to the national economy, job creation and the well-being of
communities, strengthened by government policies and cooperative regulation underpinned by
deep engagement with industry, that is fair, risk-based, responsive to cost and innovation and
which promotes the value of the sector.

In order to attain this vision, the unique characteristics of the General Aviation sector are examined, identifying wide diversity, limited political influence, high sensitivity to market influences, overregulation and lack of incentives to investment.

The extensive economic, environmental and social benefits to the Australian economy have been
listed with a view to further study and analysis. Nevertheless, it is clear from the listing provided that General Aviation is an over-achiever in terms of national contribution, yet too-often ill considered in national policy formulation and related settings.

The strategic position of the General Aviation sector as an enabler of many national benefits is
considered and from these, eight strategic initiatives are derived. These initiatives condense the ten point plan made by the GAAN in its submission to the Australian Government’s Future of Australia’s Aviation Sector - Issues Paper1 , which calls for input to a five-year aviation industry plan.

These strategic initiatives are arranged in issues-solutions-actions themes to support practical
consideration. They are as follows:

1. Economic review of the sector to identify its value to the economy, looking behind frontline
participants to the users of, and demand for, GA services and to provide all levels of
government and industry with better information for supportive policy implementation;

2. Creating a world-class regulatory environment for General Aviation, to address cultural,
systemic and practice-based issues currently hampering GA’s relationship with and the
effectiveness of CASA through the adoption of a better Classification of Operations policy,
cooperative regulation principles, and the application of GA sector risk profiles, along with
the reform of GA-specific rulesets imposing unnecessary costs and red tape;

3. Review of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 to ensure that CASA and the regulations it creates do
not impose unecessary costs on industry while providing the capability for a modern
approach to regulation of General Aviation including harmonisation with best international
practice, outcome-based regulations, cooperation with industry to access expertise and to
drive continuous improvement, improve CASA’s governance and reduce the potential for
impediments to innovation and economic harm;

4. Training pathways to ensure the ongoing availability of skills and competencies for the
sector by dealing with student support programs, duplication between government
agencies, better outcomes for trainees and reduced cost and complexity for industry;

5. Airports and infrastructure facilities and policy to support General Aviation flight and
ground-based activities for all aspects of the sector;

6. Airspace for GA operations, to address equitable airspace access and support new
technologies, national security, safety and operational efficiency;

7. Aviation design, manufacture and export to capitalise on Australia’s proven innovation to
create jobs and compete in international markets by identifying and removing unecessary
red tape while championing the potential of the industry to grow significantly while
providing national capability enhancements and sustainable jobs; and

8. Early adoption of technology and a facilitation process to support, extend and leverage
Australia’s aircraft engineering, research and development capabilities, fostering innovation
and realising economic, environmental and social benefits that reach beyond the sector.

GAAN has addressed each of these issues with practical initiatives that will reposition General
Aviation to take advantage of its opportunities and to make an even greater contribution to the
Australian community and the national interest.

An Appendix is included, containing the Policy Note previously developed by the GAAN, directed to
the linkage between risk-based regulation and understanding of risk in various aspects of the sector.

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Comment in reply c/o Sandy...  

As addressed,


The GAAN report has much valuable information but with respect to the authors it doesn’t seem to have highlighted the root cause of the problem and therefore offers no clear and strategic pathway that will achieve the reset, stop the decline of General Aviation (GA) and grow our GA sector. 

The only sustainable way forward is for the administration of aviation to be placed in a Department of Government with a Minister at it’s head, i.e., change the Act. 

Without that structural change all the never ending inquiries, consultations and GAANs, AOPAs and ASAPs along with the numerous pronunciations from new CASA heads about how good changes will occur but never do and the decline continues. BITRE stats and graphs show decline but would look much worse if adjusted for population growth. 

The regulatory environment and costs just go up and up, Ministerial ‘motherhood’ statements about world’s best practice notwithstanding. World’s best practice? Internationally we are an embarrassment. 

The declining trajectory, the loss of hundreds of flying schools, charter and maintenance organisations with thousands of job losses all started when CASA was set sail by itself because without that crucial factor of responsibility and accountability to the voter through the ballot box we do not have that essential working element of the Westminster system. 

We vote for our leadership because rule by experts does not and cannot work. Experts are employed to give advice and our elected representatives decide how to proceed. 

With regard to regulations, there’s a relatively simple solution. Take up the USA regulations, simplified, as was partly done in the late 90s, and this proven suite will be updated from time to time keeping us harmonised for trade and exchange of business and personnel. Meanwhile the Minister to require some relief by way of some specific reforms. 

The GAAN Committee wants Government to quantify GA’s benefit to Australia, but this doesn’t estimate our potential and will take time. Time we do not have because we are losing businesses and people and even secondhand GA aircraft are being exported to the much stronger GA markets overseas. 

Sandy Reith. 

I totally agree with SR, we need some action and direction now from the Minister not in the never..never. Otherwise left to their own devices through the vacuous period of the election, with the possible threat of a change of government, the unelected trough feeding bureaucrats will simply bide their time and obfuscate any promised govt commitments until those promises get lost in the political never ever and the GAAN is shelf-wared in the 'just someone else's opinion' section of the trough feeder's archives...   

 
MTF...P2