[Peetwo]

Performance of ASA - Take two.


Well today is either D-day for Airservices Australia or a further thumbing of noses by the silver-tailed, un-elected, bureaucratic, trough-swillers of the Senate, & in particular the now aviation savvy members of the RRAT Committee. Will some of the parasitic ASA executive team walk the green mile or will the RRAT Committee (& the Senate) be relegated forever to obscurity as the wet lettuce crew unable to live up to the Senate remit of the House of review, transparency & public accountability...

To begin there has been a last minute change to the agenda with Dick Smith appearing to give evidence:

Performance of Airservices Australia

PUBLIC HEARING

Tuesday 18 August 2015

Committee Room 2S3

Parliament House, Canberra

5.00 pm Airservices Australia

Mr Jason Harfield, Acting Chief Executive Officer
Mr Paul Logan, Acting Chief Financial Officer
Ms Mairi Barton, Executive General Manager, Corporate and Industry Affairs
Mrs Michelle Bennetts, Executive General Manager, Aviation Rescue and Fire
Fighting
Mr Andrew Boyd, Executive General Manager, People and Culture
Mr Greg Hood, Executive General Manager, Air Traffic Control
Mr Mark Rodwell, Executive General Manager, Projects and Engineering
Dr Rob Weaver, Executive General Manager, Safety Environment and Assurance

7.00 pm Mr Dick Smith AC

8.00 pm Adjournment of hearing
       

Here is a link for Dick's submission - sub2_Dick Smith

Conclusion

In a letter I sent to Minister Warren Truss, on 5 August 2015 (Attachment 8), I lamented the languishing of our aviation industry in Australia and the unquantifiable loss to our country of the opportunities that an otherwise viable, prosperous and growing aviation industry would provide to present and future generations.

Airservices’ determination to pursue policies that provide an economic benefit to their organisation and to the major airlines in this country to the detriment of the general aviation industry in Australia is an abject failure by Airservices to meet its obligations to these stakeholders. The result of such policies will inevitably be the diminishing of, and the very substantial damage to, the viability of our general aviation industry.

Yours faithfully

Dick Smith AC


Attachments:

Attachment 1 – Dick Smith Letter to Minister Warren Truss dated 14 July 2015 (1 page)

Attachment 2 – ADS-B Regulation Impact Statement (“RIS”) (27 pages)

Attachment 3 – Dick Smith Letter to Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston dated 27 August 2014 (1 page)

Attachment 4 – Dick Smith Letter to Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston dated 28 August 2014 (2 pages)

Attachment 5 – Dick Smith Letter to Minister Warren Truss dated 1 July 2014 (1 page)

Attachment 6 – Dick Smith Letter to Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston dated 28 August 2014 (2 pages)

Attachment 7 – Dick Smith Letter to Minister Warren Truss dated 19 December 2014 (2 pages)

Attachment 8 – Dick Smith Letter to Minister Warren Truss dated 5 August 2015 (1 page)

So for those interested please tune in from 17:00 EST today.. - Watch Parliament

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A blast from the past on some of the issues to be discussed this evening: Hansard - RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT LEGISLATION COMMITTEE - 28/05/2009 - Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Senator HEFFERNAN —We will get to that. Just for background, in the first half of 2007 the government moved the responsibility of airspace allocation and regulation from Airservices Australia to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Do you agree with that?

Mr Cromarty —We took the power from Airservices on 1 July.

Senator HEFFERNAN —This was under the Airspace Act 2007. This act says:
As provided for by Section 11A of the Civil Aviation Act—

Do you know what it says?

Mr Cromarty —Section 11A of the Civil Aviation Act deals with the safety aspects of—

Senator HEFFERNAN —It says that:
… CASA must exercise its powers and perform its functions in a manner consistent with this Policy.Statement.

Correct?

Mr Cromarty —Yes.

Senator HEFFERNAN —The policy statement attached, which you have, signed by Mark Vaile on 28 June 2007, on page 5 clearly states:

The National Airspace System

In 2002 the Australian Government instituted a reform process where Australian airspace management would be modelled on the US National Airspace System (NAS). This was to align our airspace classification system with the ICAO system and also to model our system on the proven US system.

The National Airspace System changes have brought benefits to aviation in Australia, and the Government remains committed to its reform objectives, particularly greater flexibility and the allocation of air traffic management services on the basis of risk.

Are you happy with that?

Mr Cromarty —Yes.

Senator HEFFERNAN —In the Australian airspace policy document, on page 19, which lists the safety priorities of the government, which was given to you nearly two years ago, it says:

NAS The National Airspace System used in the United States and which has been adopted as the model for reform of the Australian airspace system since 2002.

Could you confirm that that is still the government’s policy?

Mr Cromarty —That is correct, Senator.

Senator HEFFERNAN —I refer to the Australian Airspace Policy Statement, 28 June 2007, under the signature of Mark Vaile. Is the NAS policy as listed in this document still the policy CASA is acting on?

Mr Cromarty —Senator, can I just clarify that? Are you talking about this particular document?

Senator HEFFERNAN —The 2007 Mark Vaile document.

Mr Cromarty —Sorry, what is your question?

Senator HEFFERNAN —Is the National Airspace System as listed in that document still the policy CASA is operating on?

Mr Cromarty —Yes, that is correct.

Senator HEFFERNAN —Which is the US system?

Mr Cromarty —It depends how you—

Senator HEFFERNAN —The US system, I am aware, is changing to satellite from ground.

Mr McCormick —I am new to this position—but that is not to say I am not responsible for it. This document does say it will be modelled on the US system; it does not say we will adopt the US system. There are a few other issues, I think, particularly on page 15 of the document to which you refer—the airspace policy statement signed by the Hon. Mark Vaile—which says:

5.5 How major changes to airspace will be made

… These steps will include:

• risk management analysis consistent with the CASA Risk Management System and the Common Risk Management Framework (see below);
  
  

And there are further references to that common risk management framework. My own inquiries have discovered that that common risk management framework has never reached a final version.

Senator HEFFERNAN —This document has, by and large, been ignored. Paragraph 5.4 on page 15 of the policy statement says:

The Government expects CASA to establish a work programme that is inclusive of the Government’s priorities for airspace reform to progress NAS implementation as outlined in this Statement.

Is that fair enough? CASA established this work program and is it clearly to progress the NAS reforms?

Mr McCormick —Yes, Senator.

Senator HEFFERNAN —Can we have a copy of those documents?

Mr Cromarty —Yes, Senator. We have supplied them to the minister as well.

Senator HEFFERNAN —So you can supply them to us?
Mr Cromarty —Yes.

Senator HEFFERNAN —When is it planned to have the NAS reforms completed?

Mr Cromarty —Senator, the airspace policy statement, as Mr McCormick has just pointed out, is not, ‘Do NAS; copy the United States system.’ It is, ‘Do NAS, subject to analytical process and cost-benefit analysis.’ And I would draw your attention to paragraph 5.2 on page 14, where it says:
Future stages of the NAS will be implemented subject to the results of an enhanced analytical process, including cost-benefit …

That is what we have been doing.

Senator HEFFERNAN —On page 19 of the policy statement it states:
The Government has determined a number of NAS airspace reform priorities that it wishes CASA to pursue over the period 1 July 2007 to 31 December 2008.
Do you agree with that?

Mr Cromarty —Yes, Senator.

Senator HEFFERNAN —
In line with the Statement of Expectations issued to CASA on 12 March 2007, CASA is to develop a detailed implementation programme for these reform priorities for submission to the Minister by 30 September 2007.

Mr Cromarty —Yes, Senator.

Senator HEFFERNAN —Was this submission of a detailed implementation program given to the minister by 30 September 2007?

Mr Cromarty —It was, Senator, yes.

There was also a QON on this:

Question No.: CASA 03


Division/Agency: Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Topic: CASA Statement of Expectations

Hansard Page: 70 (28/05/09)

Senator Heffernan asked:

Senator HEFFERNAN—In line with the Statement of Expectations issued to CASA on
12 March 2007, CASA is to develop a detailed implementation programme for these reform
priorities for submission to the Minister by 30 September 2007.

Mr Cromarty—Yes, Senator.

Senator HEFFERNAN—Was this submission of a detailed implementation program given
to the Minister by 30 September 2007?

Mr Cromarty—It was, Senator, yes.

Senator HEFFERNAN—Can you provide the details of how and the fact that it was handed
over then?

Mr Cromarty—Yes, Senator.

Senator HEFFERNAN—Confirmation by way of paperwork.

Answer:

The Office of Airspace Regulation developed a work programme to address the Minister’s
Statement of Expectations. This was provided to Minister Vaile on 28 September 2007 by
way of Ministerial Submission.

CASA 02 (PDF 68KB) - OAR work programme to address the Minister’s SOE.
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