Late last week, the Governor-General signed three pieces of aviation regulation that signified the end of a 31-year reform program.
The three parts–103, 105 and 131–complete the regulation reform started in 1988 to migrate the Civil Aviation Regulation (CAR) and other instruments into the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASR).
CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody said he was pleased the reform program was finally complete and praised industry representatives that assisted with the program.
"Two years ago we had 10 regulations to complete the CASR suite. I made a commitment to industry that we'd get them done and today I am pleased we have finally got there," he said.
“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the regulation development program, particularly the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel and associated Technical Working Groups in the past couple of years. It is testament to the willingness of the aviation industry to get behind our commitment to streamline the aviation safety regulations.
“Now a significant part of CASA’s focus turns to continuing to consult on the detail of some of the supporting standards and transition arrangements and preparation of guidance material to ensure the aviation community has the support they need."
The final three parts were:
- CASR Part 103 – Sport and Recreational Aviation Operations
- CASR Part 105 – Sport and Recreational Parachuting
- CASR Part 141 – Manned Free Balloon Operations
The length of the reform program has been seen as a plague on the industry, with many changes increasing costs and regulatory burden. Some regulations, such as CASR Part 61, are under heavy post-implementation scrutiny, which may see more change in the future to make them more workable.