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 Adelaide on 27 June 2024. It was the first opportunity to welcome our newest Board member, Adrian Verkerk, and acknowledge the appointment of long-standing Board member, Liz Hallett, to the Deputy Chair role.
Prior to the meeting, the Board hosted an evening industry event where local and regional aviation community members were invited to meet the Board to discuss current issues. We held discussions with attendees from various sectors of the aviation industry and, as always, it was great to hear people's views in a relaxed, informal setting. We also held a strategy session with CASA's Executive management team and discussed issues such as CASA's strategic priorities, the financial pressures and challenges facing CASA in the coming years, and Commercial Air Transport operations in uncontrolled (Class G) airspace.
CASA Board meetings follow a theme-based agenda focusing on organisational matters and operational matters that affect the aviation industry. The organisational matters discussed centred around CASA's corporate governance, financial position, the status of major projects, cyber security, organisational culture, workplace health and safety, and workforce planning. The Board 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 the organisation's Working from Home arrangements, a contemporary challenge facing all organisations where the employment landscape has changed in a post-COVID environment. The Board welcomed the findings and recommendations that reflected CASA's maturity in developing a framework that maintains both productivity and staff wellbeing. We received a copy of CASA's Strategic Workforce Plan for the next three years, and recognised the challenges associated with acquiring the appropriate skills and experience to regulate the aviation industry at the same time as planning for emerging technologies.
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 to the Board. We continue to monitor the National Oversight Plan (NOP) and the extent of surveillance coverage across the different aviation sectors. We also discussed the move to focus on outcomes and trends from the various activities by undertaking a risk-based approach to surveillance coverage. The Board also received briefings on a new key management system that is assisting CASA to automate many of its manual based processes. We also discussed the refresh initiatives associated with the General Aviation Workplan and received a detailed brief on emerging technologies that included Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, Advanced Air Mobility Management, CASA's Future Strategies Taskforce, and the Emerging Aviation Technology Program.
Following the Board meeting, we continued our industry outreach program. We received a presentation from the Australian Space Agency and undertook site visits to two local operations: the Royal Flying Doctors Service and Babcock Australasia. These visits provided us with a great opportunity to hear first-hand the successes and challenges faced by operators working out of Adelaide.
The next Board meeting will be held in Canberra on 21 August 2024.
Air Chief Marshal (Ret'd) Mark Binskin AC
Chair, CASA Board