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; and to ensure that CASA performs its functions in a proper, efficient and effective manner.
The CASA Board met in Canberra on 7 December 2022. Prior to the meeting, we met with the Board of Airservices Australia to discuss several matters of common interest, such as Air Traffic and Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Services, Advanced Air Mobility and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems.
CASA Board meetings follow a theme-based agenda focusing on organisational and operational matters that affect the aviation industry. The organisational matters centre around CASA’s corporate governance, financial position, the status of major projects, cyber security issues, organisational culture, WH&S 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.
A key focus for the Board was consideration of internal audit reports into CASA’s adoption of the European Aviation Processing (EAP) system and Operational Mandatory Training. Both reports provided important lessons in relation to the issues reviewed and for broader operational improvements.
CASA’s Executive Management Team also provided updates on a range of operational initiatives. These included standing reports on the operational surveillance framework under the National Model and ongoing improvements to the reporting of accidents and incidents to the Board. We discussed proposed improvements to the new structure for Part 67 medicals. The Board also discussed the strategy provided by the Future Strategies Taskforce that will provide more transparency over CASA’s focus areas relating to emerging technologies. More information will be provided on the CASA website, but some of the matters identified include: Type certified RPAS and their related landing sites; AAM and vertiports; uncrewed aircraft systems traffic management (UTM) including ‘Remote ID’ and ‘Detect and Avoid’ technologies, and systems (including software) assurance and cybersecurity; single pilot air transport operations; digitalisation of CASA services; novel propulsion systems, eg electric, hydrogen fuel cell; and personal air mobility (PAM).
The Board also discussed important matters relating to rotary wing accidents and incidents, and discussed fatalities due to wire strikes, with further reporting to be provided.
Outside the meeting, the Board visited the data centre that manages CASA’s offsite servers. Cybersecurity is an important part of rapidly evolving Information Technology and is a key risk that the Board manages within the suite of CASA’s strategic risks.
I would like to thank departing Board member Ms Donna Hardman, whose three-year Board term has been completed. Donna also held the role of Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for one year and I thank her for her dedicated service to CASA. I hope to announce a new Board appointment shortly.
The next meeting of the CASA Board will be held in Melbourne on 28 February 2023 to coincide with the Avalon Airshow.
Air Chief Marshal (Ret’d) Mark Binskin AC
Chair, CASA Board