Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) President Marc De Stoop has called for the major political parties to reveal their policies on general aviation ahead of the 2 July Federal Election.
Even after the industry rally in Tamworth on 6 May and the subsequent meetings in Canberra on 25 May, neither the Coalition nor the Labor Party have made responded to growing aviation community demands for reforms.
“We’ve had meetings with the department that have involved CASA but that’s at a departmental level," De Stoop said."The aircraft operators of Australia want to hear from their elected leaders about where they see the direction of the industry heading.
“We had the Forsyth report, but many parts of that are yet to be implemented. We need word from both the Coalition and Labor that it is still a priority to see these recommendations implemented. We’d also like some idea about the attitudes of both parties toward the Civil Aviation Act and how it relates to CASA’s governance of the industry.”
De Stoop's statements reflect a growing fear in the aviation community that neither party intends to make the changes necessary to revitalise GA, a concern compounded by silence and a lack of commitment on behalf of both sides of politics.
“The Coalition at least engaged with us before the election," De Stoop said, "and Anthony Albanese from the opposition made some noises. But since the election was called the Labor party don’t seem interested in talking to anyone about general aviation.”
The Department of Infrastructure and Transport is believed to be working on responses to AOPA's Project Eureka and The Australian Aviation Associations Forum (TAAAF) 2016 policy statement, but there is no indication if they will be made public before the election.