[Peetwo]

BITRE snubs GAAG fest  -

Via Oz Flying:

The BITRE GA study report is expected to reveal the state of the general aviation industry in Australia. (Steve Hitchen)

BITRE GA Study Saga drags on
29 September 2017

The Bureau of Infrastructure Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) study into the state of the general aviation industry is now expected to be finalised and presented to Minister Darren Chester by the end of October.

The study, commissioned in October last year, was initially to have been finalised by 30 June, but that was later extended to 31 August to enable more stakeholders to contribute.

A spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (DIRD), which oversees BITRE, told Australian Flying on 1 September that the report was being finalised and was due to go to the General Aviation Advisory Group (GAAC) for review. However, no GAAG meeting was scheduled for the month.

Today, a DIRD spokesperson indicated that Minister Chester had been briefed on the status of the study and that GAAG would still have the opportunity to comment on the report before the final version was presented.

Australian Flying understands that much of the delay has been caused by dissatisfaction within GAAG over the way BITRE interpreted some of the data gathered.
According to sources close to the matter, BITRE briefed the GAAG back in July, but members considered the conclusions "did not reflect what GAAG members knew was reality" and that BITRE was asked to re-analyse the data.

Athough reports accused BITRE of "jumping to conclusions", the GAAG input was considered by others to be a constructive effort to help BITRE better understand the industry and the numbers.

Read more at http://www.australianflying.com.au/lates...UW053g1.99

& also via the Oz today:

CASA threatens to get heavy on repeat offenders
Civil Aviation Safety Authority chief executive and ­director of aviation safety Shane Carmody.

• Annabel Hepworth
  
• The Australian
  
• 12:00AM September 29, 2017
  

The nation’s aviation safety watchdog has moved to spell out how it will use safety information when making decisions about taking enforcement action, ­declaring it will strike when the rules are deliberately flouted.

But Civil Aviation Safety Authority chief executive and ­director of aviation safety Shane Carmody said ­action would be taken only when breaches of the aviation safety rules were “wilful, deliberate or reckless”; there was a pattern; or a failure to move to rectify deficiencies.

Mr Carmody said: “Our ­rational ‘just culture’ approach means that where honest errors or mistakes are made, CASA looks to support the efforts of individuals and organisations to make necessary improvements, correct identified problems and ensure safety risks are effectively managed in the process.

“Individuals and organisations with an understanding and commitment to safety need to take responsibility for addressing safety shortcomings and where they demonstrate the ability and willingness to do this, CASA needs not take action.”

CASA declared in 2015 that it would demonstrate a “just culture” approach.

This approach was one of the recommendations of the Forsyth review on aviation safety regulation, which said regulators in most jurisdictions had moved this way. The Forsyth review, which was released in 2014, had warned that the aviation industry “does not consider just culture principles are adequately applied in Australia and, as a result, is reluctant to disclose information to CASA”.

Under a “just culture” approach, pilots, engineers and others who report incidents are not normally pursued unless the ­action was wilful or grossly negligent.

Regional Aviation Association of Australia chief executive Mike Higgins said it was “critical” that aviation staff felt they could report safety occurrences without fearing being punished for genuine mistakes.

Last month, Mr Carmody issued a directive on limitations on the use of safety information that CASA gets from its normal surveillance and audit processes. This extended the approach beyond reporting programs where “just culture” normally applied.

The RAAA, whose members include Rex, Alliance Airlines and Sharp Airlines, backed the move to explain where safety information would be used to cancel or suspend a ­licence.

But the association said CASA needed to “refine” what it classified as unacceptable conduct, saying that getting counselling once in the past three years for similar conduct would not of itself comprise a wilful violation or gross negligence.

“The RAAA would like to work with CASA to better refine the boundaries of what is and is not acceptable conduct,” Mr Higgins said.

“Clear and fair boundaries will maintain a healthy culture of reporting that is so fundamental to safety management.”

Mr Carmody said CASA wanted to encourage a proactive ­approach to safety.

“Of course, if the safety rules are deliberately flouted or action is not taken to address safety issues, then CASA must and will take appropriate action,” he said.

Sandy in response:

Alexander

4 hours ago

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) won't have any credibility with our General Aviation (GA) industry unless there are real reforms to the regulatory regime and administrative processes which have caused massive losses in jobs and businesses, in contrast USA and NZ where GA is doing quite well.

Nearly 30 years ago a new model of governance was brought into being, that of the 'independent Commonwealth corporate body. In its first iteration CASA was touted as a Government Business Enterprise (GBE) but this term was dropped because as a monopoly with its 'use pays' fee gouging and never ending rewrite of the rules governing aviation it soon became obvious that to call it a business was about as fake as you can get. This model of governance has failed because it has far more incentive to maintain it's perks and huge salaries (CEO $600k) than to care for GA, and it has no political guidance.

Incredibly the Minister sends, on occasions, a Statement of Expectations which are always a bunch of motherhood statements looking suspiciously like they've been written by CASA itself.

GA is now a shadow of it's former self, Australian unique maintenance rules have grounded a large proportion of the GA fleet. Private pilots have quit in droves due to unreal CASA medical tests, hugely expensive aviation specific identity cards and an amazing suite of strict liability criminal sanction rules that legal experts (Harper et al) have declared as inappropriate. The rules rewrite was started 29 years ago, they've still not finished and never will because its such a great make work program.

Largely due to the latest batch of complex, convoluted and totally unnecessary rule changes for flying schools the remaining handful are disappearing rapidly. There used to be busy flying schools in numerous country towns, apart from a few ultralight schools, they've nearly all gone by way of the dodo.

What is not understandable is that there's been no public outcry, maybe as an industry it's been too small and it's gradual demise has not been spectacular.

One thing is certain, there's not been one Minister prepared to put the nation's interest before that of CASA and its 830 employees. Alex in the Rises.

MTF...P2