Civil Aviation Safety Authority boss Mark Skidmore has flagged in an email to staff that Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASR) changes are likely to be delayed because of industry feedback.
As reported in The Australian, Skidmore also signalled his determination that staff at the regulator adopt the more consultative approach being advocated by upper management.
Industry groups have welcomed his comments that the authority will take on board industry concerns but there are signs the message is not filtering down to some parts of the organisation.
Skidmore said he was aware some staff may be unclear about the regulator’s current priorities on developing and implementing remaining parts of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations.
These included suites of rules covering general aviation maintenance, passenger transport operations, aerial work and sport and recreation operations.
Skidmore noted the government’s response to the Aviation Safety Review had called for the drafting of all new regulations to be completed this year but it had also said they should be subject to changes in “regulatory approach and appropriate consultation’’.
It also said CASA needed to ensure an effective communication and education process was put into place before these provisions started.
“As I have made clear previously, in so far as they relate to CASA, I am committed to ensuring we implement the government’s response to the Aviation Safety Regulation Review in an effective and timely manner,’’ Skidmore wrote.
“Many of those recommendations have already been successfully implemented and a range of others are under way. Delivering on the government’s expectations is vital. Consistent with that obligation, however, it is equally important to get the implementation of changes right. If it takes a little more time to implement successful and effective change, then I support such an approach.
Skidmore said "it is clear CASA’s current approach is causing the aviation community significant difficulty’’ and "we need to finish this listening and discussion exercise before determining the next steps".
Mr Skidmore revealed earlier this month that he is allocating more resources to addressing issues raised by industry about flight crew licensing rules in Parts 61, 141 and 142.
“Regulatory development will be completed as quickly as is possible and implementation will be undertaken in an orderly and managed way, with a view to maximising safety benefits while minimising unnecessary burden on the aviation community,’’ he said.