The Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA) has laid the responsibility for driving reforms at CASA at the feet of the CASA board.
In AMROBA's January 2016 newsletter, Executive Director Ken Cannane says the responsibility of the board to effect changes is enshrined in directions given to them by the Federal Government.
"The future of aviation in Australia is now the responsibility of the board of CASA," Cannane states. "The DPM [Deputy Prime Minister] Statement of Expectations clearly places the responsibility on the board to produce objectives, strategies, policies and directions to the DAS [Director of Aviation Safety] on how the DAS manages CASA.
"However, will this CASA board be accountable to the public? Will this board promulgate all objectives, strategies, policies and directions determined by the board that the DAS is obliged to follow when managing CASA?"
AMROBA expressed concern in November that reforms recommended in the Forsyth Report won't be permanent unless changes are made to the Civil Aviation Act. Cannane believes there is little chance of that happening before the Federal Election that is due in the second half of this year.
"The Department of Infrastructure is responsible for keeping aviation Acts valid. Accordingly, industry will need to wait 'til the next Federal Election for the deparment to consider recommending changes to [a] hopefully more stable parliament."
After surveying several member companies, AMROBA found that many weren't familiar with past CASA boards and those that were had no confidence that previous boards had any influence over the Director of Aviation Safety.
The current CASA board includes a former regional airline operator in Chairman Jeff Boyd; Ian Smith, a former Director of the Regional Aviation Association, former Gliding Federation of Australia president Anita Taylor, ex-RAAF and Qantas pilot Murray Warfield, solicitor Phillpa Stone and current DAS Mark Skidmore, a former RAAF Air Vice Marshal.