The balance of influence

Not only must the industry support more than 5,500 aviation-related public servants, it is employing a significant number of extra staff to meet government-imposed deadlines for new maintenance and operational regulations. The costs are real and immediate. Whether the new regulations produce tangible safety benefits in the future is problematic. On the horizon are new operational regulations that are also likely to require extra industry resourcing to meet the deadlines.

Some regional operators are downsizing just to stay in business. The ongoing government-imposed costs will mean fewer services to regional centres and some services may disappear altogether.

The dead weight of unnecessary government costs must be lifted from regional aviation.

The incoming government should heed this call and speak to industry leaders as soon as practicable. If you don’t have a healthy aviation industry across all of its sectors there is absolutely no need for a burgeoning, hugely expensive bureaucracy.

Over the past 50 years two areas of our society have grown massively in power and influence. One is the federal government and the other is the media. Their influence is pervasive and increasing. There is little we can do about the latter if that is what people want and are willing to pay. There is plenty that we can do about the former once it is understood clearly how expensive, inefficient government is always a drag on society and the economy.

It is the business sector that creates wealth. A healthy business sector grows the pie for everyone.

A government’s first job is to do no harm and to use precious taxes judiciously to supply services not provided by the market. I reiterate that the regional aviation sector cannot thrive or possibly survive in the current high cost-to-industry government environment, whether it be massive regulatory compliance costs, air traffic charges, monopoly airport costs or the now almost insurmountable barriers to industry entry.

The latter point is worth exploring a bit further. It is fine to have the shiny, heavy end of the industry as the showpiece but everyone has to start somewhere.

Spare a thought for the young aviation entrepreneur, pilot or engineer who wants to have a go and The balance of influence Fostering a sustainable regional aviation industry The dead weight of unnecessary government-imposed costs must be lifted from regional aviation. join us in commercial aviation and become the future of our industry. If you put the initial government paperwork in front of him or her I would suggest they couldn’t see over it. If they then peeked into the cost of insurance and the growth in litigation to ensure that they complied with hundreds of regulations, is it any wonder that young people are not flooding into our industry? Commercial aviation is always about the future, but Australian regional aviation seems less about the future and more focused on just staying alive.

I have heard many times from many people that it is not their responsibility to foster and promote aviation. If that is the case, whose responsibility is it? I would suggest strongly that it is all of us who care about our industry’s future.

There must be a rebalancing of who influences aviation policy. Those who have the deep aviation experience and who have taken the business risks, invested the money and grown the wealth should be the incoming government’s chief aviation advisers.

All candidates should be receiving this message loud and clear.