[Peetwo]

Sandy - Supplementary Submission.

Dear Senators,


Please accept this as a supplementary submission to your inquiry into the state of General Aviation (GA) because it is updated due to the CV problem and includes additional information. 

The attached PDF contains one of the 269 submissions to the Government’s Aviation Safety Regulation Review (ASRR) of 2013/2014, Chair, David Forsyth. 

The PDF author, David Grant, is a respected colleague and highly experienced professional pilot, he consents to forwarding his material to your Committee. 

I concur with his submission, adding that the situation for GA has become considerably worse in the interim, due, firstly, to the the extraordinary, unnecessary and costly impositions of the regulatory changes enforced since 2014, in particular Part 61 around licensing and Parts 141/142, flying schools. Virtually all of our aviation regulations have been inappropriately migrated into the criminal code with strict liability for ease of prosecution which is counterproductive to safety reporting. This also has induced a very unhealthy industry relationship with CASA which practically has the powers of police, prosecutor, judge and jury. 

Secondly the restrictions around COVID 19 have caused more losses of flying schools and tourist related flying businesses such as scenic flights, charter and sky diving. 

In conclusion, the GA community will obviously welcome any interest by Parliament but many government inquiries have not interrupted the march of bureaucratic regulatory overkill. 

Therefore there may be little trust or hope for reform remaining within GA, which has shrunk in numbers, and for these reasons its doubtful that this inquiry will elicit submissions, in number (only 14 to 20/6/20) or depth, that the subject deserves. 

Without a few exemplary specific reforms, quickly promulgated, few will hold out any hope from this inquiry. Specific reforms could readily be made in quick time, in line with the PM’s promise of regulatory reform, such as independent instructors (as USA), private pilot medical standards (as USA or car driver, same as low weight category) and relief around the infamous biennial $300 Aviation Security Identity Card (scrap, lower cost or increase term). 

In the longer term GA has no hope of growing the jobs, businesses and services that can and should occur unless and until there is a root and branch reform of Australia’s aviation regulatory regime and airports policy. The responsibility of Parliamentarians and Government. 

Sandy Reith 
(Alexander C. Reith)

MTF...P2