[Peetwo]

A CASA captured EWH dishonour's Phelan's legacy? 

Reference this week's LMH: http://www.australianflying.com.au/the-l...tober-2021

The senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport (RRAT) committee inquiry into general aviation now has less than eight weeks to table their final report. The terms of the inquiry demand the final report by the last parlimentary sitting day in November 2021. By the current calendar, that makes the report due no later than 30 November. But will we get it? The obligation to submit an interim report by December 2020 was fulfilled with a one-pager that effectively said that not enough work had been done to submit an interim report. COVID had killed meaningful progress. Ten months later there has been some progress, but not as much as was planned. Successful hearings were held in January and September via video link, but seven others planned for September didn't happen. With only 63 submissions, the senate committee must once again be evaluating whether or not enough work has been done. Right now, they're sticking to that 30 November date, but hedging their bets by saying they will leave open the option to extend. It revolves around how much work is considered enough. Personally, I don't believe the volume of work is as important as the quality of the material gathered. Consistent messages coming through the chatter are that GA is over-regulated and over-burdened by a safety authority that lacks the street cred to be trusted. That's a pretty harsh assessment, and not everyone will agree with it, but it's hard to deny that central theme. Whilst many other peripheral issues have been aired, most of them are derived in some way by the problems of regulation. Sort that out and I suspect many of GA's canker sores will also heal. If nothing else is said, it's worth tabling a report that just says that.

This EWH LMH paragraph has incensed Sandy...

Steve Hitchen, Australian Flying magazine. Quote:-

“Consistent messages coming through the chatter are that GA is over-regulated and over-burdened by a safety authority that lacks the street cred to be trusted. That's a pretty harsh assessment, and not everyone will agree ….”

“Not everyone will agree”? Correct statement but if you could find 1 in 100 CASA supporters from our GA community you’d be lucky.

“Chatter”? 

Maybe Hitch doesn’t remember any of the submissions to the 2014 Forsyth inquiry or those of the latest Senate Committee RRAT inquiry.

By characterising the legitimate concerns of the GA community as “chatter,” this feels dismissive, at best, towards the thousands of aviators and aircraft engineers who have been trying for years to precipitate reform.

Did Hitch miss my 2016 petition of 2924 signatories?
They agreed with the request to Government to:-“Save Australia’s General Aviation from bureaucratic disaster.”

Accompanying those signatures are about 1000 comments, many detailed with factual information which clearly show the dysfunctional regulatory environment that GA has suffered from for many years.

I characterise Hitch’s statements as way off the beam and upsetting, particularly in the context that Paul Phelan’s legacy is not being honoured. Paul’s Australian Flying editorials were beacons of light and perspicacity, he saw clearly where overkill regulation was destroying General Aviation, and wasn’t afraid to say so. 

What about the real plight of those who are left in GA trying to make a living, or simply to enjoy flying, while burdened with ever more unworkable criminal code rules and swinging fees?  Or is that just chatter?

Sandy

Perhaps the next paragraph gives an insight to why EWH appears to have such jaundiced and conflicted opinions on the subject matter of CASA relations and engagement with the GA industry:

It was during one of the video link sessions that Senator Susan McDonald said she wasn't in favour of demanding a review of CASA, preferring to let the new DAS Pip Spence and Chairman Mark Binskin have their own impacts on the regulator first. It seems that, for the time being, McDonald's stance has proven insightful. This week it was announced that Rob Walker was to be crowned new head of Regulatory Oversight and that former Acting DAS Graeme Crawford would continue his career outside the organisation. Current boss of Regulatory Oversight Craig Martin will also exit the building after handing the keys to his office to Rob Walker at the end of this month. Is this just shifting deckchairs? I don't believe so.  Walker is a reformist and a very capable one at that. Previous reformists at CASA have simply dashed themselves on the rocks of middle-management inertia, and I have to admit that I expected Walker would suffer a similar fate especially after he was overlooked for the DAS position. That the department most in need of change is being placed in the hands of someone with the motivation to change it is a good thing. It also signals to the aviation community that Spence is not afraid of reformists: good thing Number Two. But the future contains nothing in guarantees. Walker will be under immense pressure to straighten out regulatory oversight from the GA sector, under pressure from remaining inertia not to inflict change and under pressure from the government to keep aviation safety out of the headlines. But Walker has large shoulders, after all, he has been the person responsible for wrangling CASA's relationship with the aviation community for five years and still manages to crack a daily smile.

"Walker is a reformist and a very capable one at that.."

From what are you basing this assessment EWH? The guy has been the stakeholder engagement EM for over 5 years and what exactly has he achieved in that time in regards to reforming the CASA culture and/or improving the trust with all industry stakeholders, not just a 'select' few Alphabets? 

MTF...P2