AerialAg

Applications for the scholarship are on the AAAA website – www.aerialag.com.au. The Scholarship will be to the value of $10,000 of flying training for an ag rating which will be conducted by Pays Pty Ltd.

Applications will close on the 30th of April and will be announced at the AAAA Annual Convention.

Climate Change?

Widespread rains in recent months have seen a significant return to work for many operators. Aerial herbicide applications are allowing farmers to prepare wet country that they can’t get onto any other way.

At the same time, firebombers around the country have been operating to save houses and property from bushfires.

With floods and fires happening at the same time, and with different seasonal prospects across the country, it appears to be business as usual in trying to balance assets and infrastructure with the always present chance of a dry spell, commodity price downturn or rising interest rates.

Add the debate on climate change and it shouldn’t be a surprise we are often perplexed about what direction to take.

But even when things get busy and confused we need to maintain perspective. Confusion is often a sign we are about to learn something. So don’t put the aeroplane where your head hasn’t been before. You can’t make up for years of drought by doing jobs that just aren’t safe. Fly to come home.

Just remember, if you don’t have a plan for yourself, you’ll be part of someone else’s.

No meat, no potatoes

The National Aviation Policy released by the Federal Government before Christmas represents a gross under-delivery of vision and practical improvements for the aviation industry.

The policy essentially describes the industry, provides a few useful and welcome tweaks to some policy areas, but leaves whole swaths of industry potential untouched.

When general aviation in toto scores about 8 pages out of 238, is it any wonder that commercial operators are left underwhelmed?
Government commentary that “it has been challenging for … GA…to transition to more commercial charging arrangements” simply ignores that it has been government inefficiency, poor regulation and short sighted policies that require gross overcharging for monopoly government services.

A concerted attack on bringing the systems supporting sound regulation up to par – such as a clear statement on simplifying regulation of aerial work through an improved charter letter to CASA – would have been more appropriate than an attack on the ‘victim’. There were a significant number of sound, effective suggestions made on improving Australian aviation administration through the white paper process, but little of this made it into the final document.

Important areas, such as the need for remodelling of liability legislation that underscores the industry, has been left up to review with no particular sense of urgency.

The sort of government vision and drive that has seen Brazil, Spain and Canada with vibrant aircraft manufacturing industries is now in stark contrast to Australia. Struggling manufacturers will still have to carry the burden of a creaking certification bureaucracy, despite products that are well placed to win international market share.

The concept of growing, fostering and promoting the industry so it makes an even larger contribution to the economy is simply absent.

Perhaps aviation policy needs to be taken away from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Local Government. Perhaps a department that has in its charter the nurturing of industries with potential for job growth, earning export dollars and increasing Australia’s grasp on world-leading technologies would be more productive.

The fact that media reporting on the reintroduction of the second Sydney airport debate and some minor adjustments on security overshadowed the rest of the ‘policy’ was not lost on most in industry. While a government commitment to protect airports for aviation purposes was hopefully a lasting one, the Government does not seem to understand that aviation is about more than airports, noise and Qantas ownership.

Yes, they are important issues, but they are about fixing government-created problems rather than creating a future for the wider industry.

The white paper process was a great opportunity to develop a genuine whole of government approach to improving aviation in Australia. This is especially true as it requires Cabinet commitment and roping in of other critical government policy sectors such as education, industry and finance. Unfortunately, the process has failed to deliver meaningful reform and real outcomes.

Despite all the hoo-haa about this being the first national aviation policy and some welcome tinkering, it simply doesn’t live up to the hopes of industry, or the needs of the Australian – and particularly rural and regional – communities.