The Board of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) meets six times per calendar year to fulfil its obligations under Section 53 of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 to decide the objectives, strategies and policies to be followed by CASA; to ensure that CASA performs its functions in a proper, efficient and effective manner.
The CASA Board met in Brisbane on 2 May 2024. Prior to the meeting, the Board hosted an evening industry event where local aviation community members were invited to meet the Board to discuss any issues they wished to raise. As always, it was great to hear people’s views in a relaxed, informal setting.
During this event, I presented CASA Safety Manager Scholarships to Jamie Taylor (Operations and Safety Manager at Flinders Air) and Ashleigh Jacka (Safety Officer for Experience Co’s Aviation and Skydive Australia divisions). The third recipient, who was unable to attend, was Courtney Ryan. We look forward to presenting Courtney’s award to her sometime later in the year.
CASA Board meetings follow a theme-based agenda focusing on organisational matters and operational matters that affect the aviation industry. The organisational matters centred around CASA’s corporate governance, financial position, the status of major projects, cyber security issues, organisational culture, workplace health and safety, and workforce planning. The Board received a briefing from the Chair of the People and Culture Sub-Committee and discussed matters relevant to CASA’s workforce. The Board also received standing reports from the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Industry Complaints Commissioner.
The Board received an internal audit report on Designated Aviation Medical Examiners (DAME) Class 2 medicals and welcomed the findings and recommendations that will strengthen our interaction with DAMEs across the country. We also approved the program of internal audits for the 2024-25 reporting period and will continue to monitor CASA’s internal controls and business performance through the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee. In a busy period of review, we also approved the Board’s Strategic Risks and Risk Appetite Statement for 2024-25, which are both consistent with the current year.
CASA’s Executive Management Team provided updates on a range of operational and regulatory initiatives. This included standing reports on the operational surveillance framework under the national model and the reporting of accidents and incidents. We continue to monitor the extent of surveillance coverage across the different aviation sectors. The Board support management’s focus on outcomes and trends from the various activities by undertaking a risk-based approach to surveillance coverage.
The Board received a presentation from CASA’s aviation safety analysts that focused on evidence-based decision making to quantify collision risk in Australian airspace. The associated demonstration highlighted the world-leading technology used to inform the decisions made for airspace management.
Following the meeting, the Board visited three local operations: Flight One, Life Flight and UPRT Australia. These visits provided us with a great opportunity to hear first-hand the successes and challenges faced by operators in the current environment.
The next Board meeting will be held in Adelaide on 27 June 2024.
Air Chief Marshal (Ret’d) Mark Binskin AC
Chair, CASA Board