[Peetwo]

Afternoon quickie from off the Yaffa - Passing strange? 

From Dougy's wrap this week:

..The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development is funding a comprehensive study of the current skill levels and future skill needs of the aviation/aerospace industry. Manufacturing Skills Australia and the Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council are driving the study - and are seeking industry input into the study. In particular it will seek industry perspectives on:
* areas currently experiencing skills shortages
* emerging skills and industry’s capacity to meet demand
* factors affecting labour supply
* the current training framework, including the quality of skills training, and the impact of training costs
* the impact of Asia-Pacific traffic growth and opportunities for the Australian aviation industry;
* measures industry can implement to respond to these aviation workforce challenges
 Links to TLISC’s website and surveys can be found here. But all needs to be in by COB 13 November,..

02 Nov 2015

Major study of the skills needs of the Australian Aviation/Aerospace industry commenced

The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development are funding a major study into the current skill levels and future skill needs of the Australian aviation/aerospace industry.

The study is being undertaken by the Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council (TLISC). MSA, as the Industry Skills Council for aerospace manufacturing and maintenance engineering sectors, is pleased to be collaborating with TLISC on this study.

We invite all enterprises and training organisations within the sectors to ‘have your say’ by providing a submission or completing a short survey. More information on the study can be found on the TLISC website.

Surveys and submissions will close on COB Friday 13 November 2015.
If you have any questions about this project please do not hesitate to get in contact with Brian Cobb or Jane Newton.

 At a meeting of peak aviation representative bodies, TAAAF expressed considerable concern at the a slow pace of reform of CASA and the ongoing cost impositions from new regulations. TAAAF encouraged the CASA Board to persevere with their clear, Government- mandated cultural change agenda. New CASA regulations are threatening the viability of industry and especially general aviation operations, with millions of dollars required to be invested for no commensurate safety gains. TAAAF welcomed the Director of Aviation Safety’s Directive 01/2015 on cost and risk and asked that it be applied to all CASA regulations. TAAAF recommends the CASA Board redouble CASA efforts to urgently abolish CAO 48.1, establish an industry task force to propose urgent exemptions and amendments to Part 61, 141, 142 and revised transitional arrangements to allow the industry to function, and reform aviation manufacturing regulations.
 

TAAAF says that, ‘While there is some good work being undertaken by CASA, it is being swamped by the damage being caused by legacy regulations only now coming into force’.
 
Would you agree that the removal of ‘strict liability’ from aviation regulations is necessary to bring about a sound and trusted safety culture?  One reader says that, ‘I do not believe that CASA can have a Just Culture policy whilst the regulations are written the way they are, they are clearly not compatible.  If you go back to the 2003 FLOT conference that CASA facilitated, one of the recommendations from industry was that one of the greatest hazards to aviation safety was the Attorney Generals Department.  It was never acted on and this showed quite clearly who was running the rules.  I don’t believe much has changed in that regard.  I understand that this is not something that comes under the mantle of the CASA Board, but it should be understood the effect it has on what CASA is responsible for…. safety. 

‘We have regulations that include Strict Liability on almost every page.  The side issue is that the regulations are not read by those at the coal face any more, only the lawyers.  That is certainly not promoting an understanding of the rules and any sort of just culture policy.’
 
 If you in or near Sydney in early December, the AvLaw Cup will be held at Kogarah Golf Club on Friday 4 December from 0800 to 1400. An all inclusive registration fee of $99 per player includes lunch and more. And there’s a special guest speaker in Jeff Boyd, Chairman of the CASA board. Registration is $65 to attend the luncheon only from 1230 till 1400. If you’re interested I can supply contact details. Proceeds from the day go to Careflight...

... This week sees me stepping aside as editor of Aviation Business, so that I can invest more time and energy in other projects. Long-time senior contributor Denise McNabb takes over at the magazine’s controls. But I will continue to write Insights each week, to share my observations of the industry and, hopefully, to provoke some useful debate around issues. So please keep those emails and calls coming. I won’t take anonymous comment, but I am happy to withhold your name from publication. 

That TSLIC/DoIRD initiative was what Senator Fawcett was asking about at last Estimates:

Senator FAWCETT: Mr Mrdak, I think this applies to you and probably to Mr Skidmore. I understand the Transport and Logistic Industry Skills Council has been contracted by the department to do a study into the state of the aviation workforce. I am wanting to be assured that, in terms of coordination between the department and that study and work that CASA is doing around things like part 61, those two activities are going to be coordinated and will not unduly hold up the release of the new manual of standards for part 61, because it clearly has a flow-on to RTO approvals, even visa authorisations and a whole range of other things, that impact upon industry's ability to run a business.


Mr Mrdak : Certainly, that is our intent. Mr Doherty can give you an update of the work that the Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council are doing for us, but it is not our intent to hold up the part 61 reform agenda.

Mr Doherty : Yes, certainly, we are very aware of that connection. The proposal for the work which the Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council is doing was discussed at the minister's Aviation Industry Consultative Council meeting. That was an initiative that was brought out strongly there: the need to coordinate the syllabuses and curriculums for the different exercises to make sure that, as far as possible, we have the training organisations aligning with the requirements of the CASA regulations, so it was very much in mind for that exercise.

Senator FAWCETT: Thank you.

MTF...P2