The Australian government plans to launch an industry-government action agenda for the general aviation industry this month in an effort to identify the problems facing the sector and reverse its decline, writes Emma Kelly.
Action agendas are government-launched initiatives whereby the Australian government works with a specific industry to determine the opportunities for that sector and the barriers to realising those opportunities. The process, led by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, has successfully been applied to a number of industries.
An action agenda was launched for the aerospace industry in 2001-2, resulting in 16 recommendations released in 2004 designed to help the local industry increase annual exports fivefold to A$3.5 billion ($2.6 billion) by 2012. Some 10 of the 16 recommendations have been implemented, with the rest expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2007.
An action agenda is seen as necessary for the GA industry due to the specific problems the sector is facing. The Australian GA industry has been in decline for a number of years, with investment in aircraft down, flying hours dropping, fewer people entering the industry and an old fleet.
Rising costs, lack of government policy, over-regulation and lack of financial incentives to encourage investment in new aircraft have all been identified by the Australian Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association as contributing to the decline.
Source: Flight International
