– Steve Hitchen
Although the Federal Government is promoting the 2024 Aviation White Paper–released this week–as the saviour of the industry, friend to the consumer and driver of sustainability, for the general aviation industry and community it holds just as many brickbats as it does bouquets.
On one hand it gives, on the other it takes away, and somehow through this juggling act manages to ignore as well. But those are epithets that could be hung on most aviation white papers and policies, leading us to believe that this one is just like the other ones.
That is misleading in one respect: this white paper shows that the Federal Government has been listening to GA, even though they may ignore what the community has been saying. You can't say that about the previous ALP white paper, which went straight from printing press to rubbish bin, so disconnected was it from the needs of the GA industry.
However, there is a big difference between listening and paying attention, which the GA component of this white paper shows.
The 2024 edition contains a dedicated GA section, which advances only two initiatives, but scattered throughout the entire document are several other ideas that stand to impact the future of GA in Australia. If you gather them all together, they form a picture of the true vision the ALP has for the industry.
"The Australian Government is committed to a strong and diverse GA sector," the white paper intones. "The government will protect GA’s access to LFAs [Leased Federal Airports] by setting clear expectations for airport master plans and establishing a clear statement of expectations for how the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts will fulfil its function as a regulator under the Airports Act 1996 (Cth).
"The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is refreshing its GA workplan, continuing to adjust its practices to reduce the regulatory burden on GA while keeping the community safe."
They sound like good things, and echo two major woes that the GA community has been expressing since the A380 was a Piper Cub. These are the signs that the government is prepared to acknowledge what they have been told. Another sign is the compatibility with the General Aviation Advisory Network (GAAN) strategy, which proposed several key projects repeated to varying degrees in the white paper.
Of the 56 initiatives, there are 11 that need more scrutiny with a GA-coloured microscope. They are:
18 – streamline LAME training pathways
19 – expect the airlines to train their own people and stop plundering the regional operators
27 – extend the Remote Airstrips Upgrade Program (RAUP) with $50 million over three years
28 – extend the Regional Airports Program with $40 million over three years
29 – demand that RAUP and RAP demonstrate compliance with Closing the GAP initiatives
30 – the government will consider GA airport access and consultation when it comes to approving master plans
31 – CASA must refresh its GA Workplan
34 – guidelines for "Flying Considerately" in VFR and OCTA to reduce noise over residential areas
36 – improve land-use planning in the vicinity of airports
40 – review the Airports Act 1996 with regard to lease renewals at Leased Federal Airports
43 – an mandate for ADS-B for all aircraft in all classifications of airspace in Australia.
There are other initiatives that, although aimed at other sectors have peripheral consequences for GA; strategies for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), expanded UAV use and the inappropriateness of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for GA are a few examples.
There is also a commitment to a proper study of the value of GA to Australia. This will establish once and for all numbers in terms of jobs, GDP and contribution that we can all hang out hats on. Organisations such as the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) have done studies before, but the main focus has been on movements, leaving broad generalisations to be interpreted and twisted. Once complete, the study should be a good argument settler.
The 11 initiatives above, however, are more likely to start arguments than settle them.
LAME Pathways
Whilst streamlining LAME pathways is ideal, this need has been recognised for some time, yet so far no-one has been able to do anything about it. Improving migration schemes is a good short-term solution, but long-term answers aren't being brought any closer.
Airlines to Train their Own
There needs to be some caution with this. Although stopping the majors from plundering the regionals for skilled people is desirable, telling Qantas to train their own may be counter-productive. Firstly, it could result in more ATPLs trained for airlines, but not for GA; and secondly, it could create a ceiling for ATPLs coming up through the regional ranks.
Extend RAUP and RAP
We'll take any money coming our way! There is still a lot of work to be done in regional and remote airports, but the money needs to be directed at vital infrastructure and not restricted to government pet projects or frittered away on the costs of security like fences or screening.
GA Access in LFA Master Plans
This, combined with multiple rejections in the Moorabbin master planning process, should send a message to the operators of the Leased Federal Airports they the operate airports first and foremost, and that commercial development can't be permitted to hinder that. If this is effective, it will give the department real teeth as a regulator.
CASA to Refresh GA Workplan
There's not much in this, because the workplan is a CASA initiative and a second iteration as Workplan 2.0 has already been flagged. Even if it was not in the white paper, it could go ahead. It is good for the department to express support, but this is someone else's idea rebranded.
Flying Considerately Guidelines
Much of the white paper has been given over to suppression of noise over residential areas, so this sort of thing was probably inevitable. In practical terms, it extends Fly Neighbourly advice to just about anywhere over housing. It will be hard to police and even harder to comply with. It is a good thing that guidelines are not legislation.
Land Use Planning around Airports
This is good to see, although I expect it will cause some ructions between Canberra, the state governments and the local councils. Done properly, it could prevent things like nursing homes being built under approach paths and commercial developments needing to comply with local building laws, even though airports are on federal land. That's the spirit of it, but big money always speaks with a booming voice and reason often struggles to be heard.
Review the Airports Act 1996 with regard to lease renewals
The department is promising to look closely at the 22 LFAs, which include the likes of Bankstown, Moorabbin, Jandakot and Archerfield. According to the white paper, the intent is to scrutinise legislation surrounding ownership, planning, development and environmental management. That sound good to us; it has been needed for some time. However, the intent is not to shore up the GA sector, but to give the lessees certainty for the future when they decide whether or not to renew the leases. This is a double-edged sword for GA and can cut just as sharp either way.
ADS-B Mandate for all Aircraft
Why would the department champion this? What do they have to gain? The answer lies in their support for new technologies (read: drones and eVTOLs), plans for which will rely on accurate and reliable separation. ADS-B is being seen as the took to make this happen. But put it together with Initiative 18 and a slight problem begins to solidify: who's going to physically install ADS-B units in every VFR aircraft in Australia when we have an acknowledged shortage of engineers? Expect this one to dissolve into years of consultation until someone comes up with the revelation that it was always impractical from the beginning. And will segregation by procedure in Class D airspace give way to separation via ADS-B, or will Class D become a thing of the past, with all towers Class C?
Absent Friends
This 2024 aviation white paper is also significant for the things that aren't there. Only a few months back, sectors of GA were getting warm feelings that the government was listening, and there was much optimism for several desperately needed measures. These measures are conspicuous by their absence:
- reforming the VET/TAFE system to increase the percentage of pilots completing the qualification
- the impact of Western Sydney Airport on GA in the Sydney basin
- although the cost impact of new technologies leading to net-zero aviation is acknowledged, there are no subsidies on the cards for operators to adopt the technology once it becomes available
- no mention once again of removing ASIC requirements for flight crew; even though ASICS are a Home Affairs issue there is not even an expression of sympathy
- the medium airports program as proposed by the Airports Association of Australia has been given the cold shoulder.
Broadly, the GA community has greeted the White Paper with copious amounts of apathy, pointing out that many of the initiatives are too broad, have little in the way of genuine teeth, are impractical or contain no firm timelines that industry can rely on.
To be fair, it is a vast improvement over the last ALP white paper, but that wouldn't have been very hard to do.