CASA Media Release - Friday, 11 June 2004
Aerial agriculture set air safety challenge
Australia’s aerial agriculture industry has been given the challenge of developing a proposal for air safety self-administration.
Under consideration would be a new model of air safety regulation in aerial agriculture where the industry peak body carried out safety surveillance, delivered some regulatory services and imposed penalties on operators who broke the safety rules.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority would still set the safety rules for aerial agriculture and oversee the performance of the peak body, the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia.
CASA chief executive, Bruce Byron, told the aerial agriculture industry this week that a well developed proposal for self-administration of air safety regulations would be seriously considered.
Mr Byron said CASA must devote the majority of its resources on the safety of the travelling public and look for innovative ways to spend less time administering safety in non-passenger carrying aviation.
He told the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia annual conference the peak body could take a major responsibility for the safety administration of its own industry.
“To be brutal, you operate in circumstances where you are not likely to do too much damage to other aircraft, to impact literally or figuratively on centres of population, or cause problems for passengers or innocent bystanders,” Mr Byron said.
“So if we can pass a certain amount of responsibility to you, we can devote more of our resources to looking after the interests of the travelling public, which is where our priority needs to be.
“Now this can’t be back-of-the-envelope stuff, it has to be carefully worked through, it has to be practical, and it has to recognise there are real safety obligations that have to be met.
“And it has to recognise that there are big issues to be resolved if you as an industry association are to take on, without fear or favour, a major responsibility for the safety of your members, and with it the possibility of sanctions against those who pay your salaries and those whose own incomes depend on their being in the air, not grounded or fined.
“Our focus under such a regime would be checking you have the right processes and procedures in place to ride herd on your members and that you do keep up to the mark in terms of surveillance and enforcement obligations.”
Mr Byron said CASA would not seek to impose self-administration on aerial agriculture but would carefully consider a proposal from the industry. The speech can be read at: casa.gov.au/corporat/ceo/04-06-08.htm
Media contact
Peter Gibson
mobile 0419 296 446
Ref: MR0418