[thorn bird]

Quote:

5. Australian maintenance qualifications must be globally integrated through complete alignment with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) training and licence standards; teething problems in the introduction of the new licensing and training system must be quickly addressed.

Sorry gentlemen EASA rules are almost as asinine as Australia's and completely unaffordable, besides the Kiwi's have already stolen the race by adopting sensible rules aligned with the US FAR's.
They are now reaping the rewards, with a cost base way below Australia's because their regulatory burden is so much lighter there is no way We could hope to compete.

Quote:

6. Regional and General Aviation are essential national services and so the new small aircraft maintenance licensing system must be quickly finalised, to ensure a nation-wide supply of qualified staff to perform and sign off on repairs and overhaul.

Bit hard to sign off on repairs and overhaul when there is no machinery to repair and overhaul.
The government doesn't consider GA and regional are essential industries and has given CAsA a free hand to destroy both in much the same manner Europe did.
Without an Erebus event or an FAA downgrade there is little political traction for any sort of meaningful reform that could prevent the industry winding down. Aviation in Australia is just too expensive leading entities who have a need and desire to use its services to seek alternative means of transport such as our roads. The little international work available for Australian aviation companies to compete for are out of reach as countries like New Zealand and PNG can comfortably out bid us.

The University of NSW report I fear is just "Pipe dreams", our maintenance standards are no longer accepted overseas, even our engineers qualifications are questioned, even by the Authority on who's regulations ours are supposed to be based on.
When CAsA forges ahead and introduces its so called Part 121 regulations, maintenance costs will triple and compliance costs reach stratospheric levels.