A fresh start, or more of the same?

It would be a brave person who predicts that a simple change of government would have any affect on the blight that affects CASA and other aviation policy in Australia – but perhaps hope springs eternal! The election of the Rudd Labor government may be the circuit breaker required to put some common sense back into aviation policy, especially as the Labor preelection policy was to take specific note of the plight of general aviation and to do something about it.

Unlike previous attempts at regulatory reform, a new minister would do well to start with the classification of operations and clearly identify that GA activities, especially those not carrying passengers, are different to airline operations and should not have to bear the same costs or policies. The key message is ‘Keep It Simple’.