An industry task force set up to investigate Australia's long-running regulatory reform is recommending that "priority" parts of the programme are submitted in draft form to the Attorney General's office by the end of this year, with full implementation by 2011.
The previous government established the Aviation Regulation Review Taskforce last year to set key directions and priorities for aviation regulatory reform for the next five years. The task force was headed by Dr Allan Hawke, chancellor of the Australian National University, and includes Civil Aviation Safety Authority chief executive Bruce Byron, and former CASA chairman Dick Smith.
Regulatory reform started in 1996, but of the 60 regulatory parts being reviewed, 32 have been implemented, 12 are with the Attorney General's Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing and 16 are under further development or assessment within CASA.
Priority parts should be the operational, maintenance, flightcrew licensing and sport and recreational aviation suites, says the task force.
The report's recommendations include that government aviation agencies review and enhance existing consultation arrangements with industry that the regulation development process is monitored by joint CASA/industry teams and that the government should consider further initiatives to assist the industry in addressing its skills shortage.
Source: Flight International
