CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Shane Carmody today announced that CASA had acted on all recommendations arising from 2014's Aviation Safety Regulation Review (ASRR).
The ASRR made a total of 37 recommendations, of which the government of the day agreed with 20 and gave in-principle agreement to another 12 and rejected one outright. Not all of the recommendations related to CASA, with some falling under the responsibility of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
"CASA has either completed actions flowing from the Government's response to the recommendations, incorporated solutions into ongoing activities or announced plans to take action on recommendations," Carmody said today.
"There are two recommendations where actions will be taken in 2018 – a review of the penalties in the aviation safety regulations and the completion of the remaining parts of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations.
"I have made it clear CASA will be striving to finalise the last 10 parts of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations by the end of 2018.
"My intention is that these parts will be made or be ready to be made, with implementation to take place over an appropriate and staged timeframe.
"Most of the Aviation Safety Regulation Review recommendations are now ongoing as they are embedded into CASA's new policies, processes and procedures. Many of these will take time to bed down but we are making significant headway."
Carmody also revealed he had been collaborating with ASRR chairman and report author David Forsyth to track progress.
In early 2016, Forsyth assessed that CASA had completed only 29% of the reforms that applied to them, but indicated today that progress had been made since then.
"While a number of issues are still in work, there is clear progress on necessary improvements and re-establishing a trust based relationship with industry," Forsyth said.
Carmody also reiterated his belief in the value of the ASRR and the impact reforms are having.
"The review was a very important and valuable benchmarking exercise that has focussed CASA on making worthwhile improvements that are now paying dividends to the aviation community," he said.