The Federal Government yesterday published the 2023 Aviation Green Paper, which which presents discussion topics on the future of the aviation industry in Australia ahead of the coming white paper.
In releasing the Green Paper to the public, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King outlined the intent behind the white paper process.
"The Green Paper marks an important stage in developing the Aviation White Paper which will set the policy direction for the aviation sector out to 2050," she said.
"The Government is seeking outcomes that deliver a more competitive aviation sector, while at the same time securing Australian jobs.
"We are also looking at stronger consumer protections, improvements to complaint handling processes and improve accessibility for consumers living with disability."
Unlike the previous ALP white paper process completed in 2009, the 2023 green paper did not seek input from the broader aviation community, but rather used workshops and directed consultation to frame issues facing the industry, collated with government policy.
The paper presents decarbonisation as a major target for the government in order to achieve the aim of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It also makes it clear that the whole aviation industry and community will be expected to contribute, not just the airlines.
Among the discussion topics most relevant to GA are:
- drones and urban mobility
- expanded flight training industry
- electric propulsion
- regulatory and policy settings
- unleaded avgas
- risk-based oversight
- lack of maintenance engineers.
The white paper is also expected to take into account a study of the GA industry currently being conducted by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport an Regional Economics (BITRE).
Minister King called for the wider aviation community to provide feedback on the 2023 Aviation Green Paper.
"We want an aviation sector that maintains Australia’s world leading safety and security standards and provides secure jobs now and into the future, a sector needs to be reliable, competitive and affordable, supported by a robust consumer rights framework," she said.
"We encourage those who are interested to carefully consider the Green Paper and provide feedback to inform next year’s Aviation White Paper."
Consultation on the green paper opened today and will remain open until 30 November 2023. Feedback can be submitted via the Department of Infrastructure and Transport website.
Copies of the 2023 Aviation Green Paper can also be downloaded from the department website.