[Peetwo]

AOPA summation 25 May Dept/CASA meeting:via the Yaffa. 


Thank you Hitch for the update & AOPA minutes link...

Project Eureka was the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association "last stand" document to sway the governments and bureaucrats into revitalising general aviation in Australia.


Project Eureka Canberra Meeting: the Outcomes
4 July 2016

On 25 May, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association met with representatives of CASA and the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Developent (DIRD) to go through the merits of AOPA's Project Eureka and thrash out issues effecting the growth of general aviation.

Either CASA or DIRD responded to each issue raided by the Project Eureka team, and in many cases AOPA came away with action items to provide further information for the government to act on.

Read more at http://www.australianflying.com.au/lates...T1Bqqks.99

Dear Member,
 
Our President, Marc De Stoop, provided this summation of the Canberra Dept Meeting:
 
Following on from the May rally in Tamworth, I together with Ben Morgan, Gary Beck & Ken Cannane travelled to Canberra on 25 May 2016 for a Eureka meeting at the invitation of Shane Carmody Dept Secretary of the Dept of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Mr Carmody chaired the meeting. CASA’s three most senior representatives were also present. DAS, Mark Skidmore , and two recent appointments to head the new CASA restructured Divisions; Graeme Crawford, Group Manager Aviation Group and Rob Walker, Group Manager Stakeholder Engagement.

The Department of Infrastructure also had present Pip Spence, Executive Director Aviation and Airports and Jim Wolfe, General Manager Air Traffic Policy.
 
The purpose of the meeting was to present Project Eureka and to demonstrate to the Dept that the Industry is need of regulatory reform and that AOPA has the answers to revitalize the GA Industry in Australia.
 
Dept Secretary Carmody has been tasked to provide a Brief to the incoming Government on what reforms are needed, if any, to solve the GA industry problems.
 
All in all the meeting went very well with all present listening intently to our concerns and our suggested remedies. Everybody was very appreciative of the effort AOPA has put into Project Eureka. However, we must not back off on the political campaign to bring about change. This meeting would not have happened if Ben Morgan’s Aviation Advertisers Tamworth Rally had not exposed both Minister Chester and the Dept PM Barnaby Joyce to the very uncomfortable public blow torch of disgruntled grass root GA industry members.
 
AOPA’s view is if we are to achieve reform, in a timetable acceptable to industry, we must keep the pressure on the politicians to force the Dept and CASA to act NOW.
 
My lasting impression of the meeting was that the DAS believes the GA Industry in Australia "is in good shape". We completely disagreed with this assessment. I came away from the meeting convinced this is our single biggest problem. It’s collectively our challenge to convince him he is wrong. Why we should have to do this beggars belief.

I think the greatest achievement of the meeting was to get the Dept involved, right in the centre, of the problems and into a role to "mediate" change between Industry and CASA. Meeting one on one with CASA over the years has proved fruitless, as we all know. Now that we have engaged the Dept in this process we are exposing the inactivity of previous Ministers and the Secretary of the Dept to bring CASA to account. At the end of the day unless we get the Dept to change the Act we won’t achieve reform. As I see it the DAS and CASA can hide behind the Act. We must harmonise our Act with overseas countries and then clean out the old middle guard management at CASA to implement reform. Wholesale staff changes in the middle management must happen at CASA. I’m hopeful the new externally appointed Group Heads have the courage to carry out that task.
 
Please find below a record of outcomes / minutes and PLEASE provide responses of your individual experiences where AOPA has been requested to provide examples of the industry problems we have outlined in the various industry segments.
 
AOPA 2016 Conference
 
AOPA is planning a conference, rather than another rally, in August 2016 when we have a new Govt . The aim being to keep our concerns centre stage. In keeping with the Eureka theme, we have the answers, we plan to invite senior representatives from overseas industry bodies and regulators. Government will be invited to participate. We are planning to have representatives from the UK, US & NZ in attendance.to demonstrate to our Govt how to reform. "Show them the way" will be the theme. We will keep you posted as plans develop.
  
Regards,
 
Aaron Stephenson - CEO aaron.stephenson@aopa.com.au

MTF...P2