[Peetwo]

Except for this comment from Phil Hurst last week in the Oz article - CASA seeks to hike fees as $25m loss looms - other industry stalwarts have been particularly quiet??

...Aerial Agriculture Association of Australia chief executive Phil Hurst said there seemed to be a contradiction between CASA’s approach and government policy that new regulations should be cost neutral and red tape should be reduced.


Mr Hurst said the industry was also still waiting for Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss to provide a letter of intent that gave effect to the findings of the Forsyth review on aviation safety regulation.

“And then CASA, oblivious to all that, puts out a draft CRIS which says they’re going to raise by their accounting 90 new charges,’’ he said...  

Although strong words from AerialAg Phil - & words that are respected by many in the industry - it is just one voice. And unfortunately for Phil his reputation has been tarnished in the eyes of the bureaucratic/Mandarin/Board class after the very public slanging match between the Board Chair Hawke & himself over the two highly critical AAAA Forsyth submissions (which incidently received many choccy frogs from the IOS.. )

However the Oz article did go onto say...

"...The Australian Aviation Associations Forum, the peak body for aviation groups, last month urged Mr Truss as well as the new Civil Aviation Safety Authority board and the authority’s boss Mark Skidmore to pursue “a fundamental improvement in aviation in Australia”

It called on Mr Truss’s letter of intent to direct CASA to follow a new path of co-operation that would cut outmoded regulation..."

...which would indicate that other members of TAAAF had got wind of the Fort Fumble announcement?? So finally after more than a week - of this unsavoury announcement being out - there is pushback...  

From the Australian Aviation online - Industry calls for rethink of new CASA charges 

{Comment: Personally that headline & the article itself was too wet lettuce & Politically Corrected so I've decided not to replicate in full, IMO Hitchen's version is much more to IOS liking..  }

& Oz Flying -

CASA charges a raft of fees for services under the Federal Government's cost recovery scheme. (CASA)


Associations belt CASA over New Charges
02 Apr 2015

An aviation associations forum has slammed CASA for proposing 90 new fees at a time when the aviation industry is being economically squeezed.

The Australian Aviation Associations Forum (TAAAF) has responded to a draft CASA Cost Recovery Implementation Strategy (CRIS) in a statement released today.

"In this environment it is not appropriate for CASA to propose some 90 new charges related to the bungled new Part 61 for pilot licensing, and to maintain complex bureaucratic systems that fail to deliver efficiency," the statement says.

"Industry has concerns about the lack of urgency in reform and denial of the Forsyth report criticisms by a cohort of long term managers within CASA."

According to the statement, TAAAF also told CASA it should tighten its own belt and focus on cost reduction and becoming more efficient before looking to increase revenue from the aviation industry.

"At a time when many aviation industry sectors are suffering a significant economic downturn due to the end of the mining boom, drought in two States and a multi-decade general decline in activity, all parts of the industry have had to tighten their belts and
CASA’s regulatory services should not be immune.

"On one side sits the Government’s budget predicament, Government’s red tape reduction plan, the Government direction regarding new regulations having to be cost neutral on industry and the Government’s announced adoption of most of the recommendations of the highly critical Forsyth Aviation Review."

TAAAF states that the aviation industry's reaction to the draft CRIS is "hostile" and proposes several measures that they have asked Minister Warren Truss to consider instead, including:

• Reject the draft Cost Recovery Implementation Strategy (CRIS)
  
• Refer CASA to the Government directive that new regulations should be cost neutral
  
• Refer CASA to the Government policy on red tape reduction
  
• Direct CASA to implement the Government’s response to the Forsyth Report
  
• Include a direction in his Letter of Expectations that CASA focus on cost reduction before more cost recovery
  
• Direct CASA to establish a joint industry/CASA taskforce to review all charges and the efficiency of the systems behind them, with a view to eliminating activities and their accompanying charges where they make no contribution to safety.
  
  

 The draft CRIS is available on the CASA website along with the details of how to comment.

Top stuff TAAAF & remember.." united we stand divided we fall" 

TICK TOCK miniscule!

MTF...P2