Creating bigger things

At recent meetings with parliamentarians and government agencies, AAAA and other members of the Australian Aviation Associations Forum have been forthright in demanding improved outcomes for aviation that build on the key role this industry plays.

The economic opportunities arising from improved aviation policy are significant and go a lot further than red tape reduction – although any sign of that actually happening would be welcome.

The interconnectedness of the modern Australian economy was recently brought home by a field visit with ATSB commissioner Chris Manning to the cotton fields of Moree in northern NSW, where the critical role played by aircraft and the people who manage, fly and maintain them was crystal clear.

The ATSB should be congratulated on this outward-focused initiative to improve its understanding of safety issues. It augers well for the future of ATSB that will see a new chief commissioner in July.

By seeing first-hand how aircraft protect Australia’s agricultural production from weeds, insects and fungus, and how the billions of dollars invested by both family and corporate farmers drives economic growth, the importance of government agencies playing a supportive role was underscored.

In regional towns, there is a better line of sight between the significant economic activities of the agricultural sector – including aircraft – and the economic benefits this delivers to the wider community.

Without the millions of dollars invested in a cotton gin or an aerial application business, there are fewer jobs in the local town. If water allocations are cut or there is a drought, work also dries up. If a crop were to fail because aircraft weren’t there to protect it, then the whole community – and the economy – suffers.

If government policies continually add costs to employing people, or undermine the productivity of companies by tying them up in red tape, then politicians should not be surprised when wider benefits also stop flowing.

The lack of understanding of ‘cause and effect’ in government is concerning. This lack of vision for the really big goals and how to achieve them – a strong economy, healthy communities, vibrant business and efficient government – is a serious impediment to advancing the nation.

One action that all government agencies should have as a key performance outcome is their willingness to get out in the field and understand the industries and sectors they seek to regulate – especially at the executive level of the public service.

So many of CASA’s problems have at their heart a lack of understanding of industry’s and CASA’s roles.

Industry creates safety every day – we have the strongest possible vested interest in safety. It should be CASA’s job to set reasonable outcome-focused, minimum safety standards, undertake quality assurance on industry’s performance and act when necessary to help realign industry performance with expectations as expressed in regulations.

It is not CASA’s job to try to micro-manage each individual business – or to create appalling delays and inefficiency which are far outside any reasonable expectation of conducting a business. Where else would any business tolerate a three-month or longer shutdown because CASA can’t get its act together? And yet that is what the aviation industry is faced with routinely.

The recently released Aviation Forum policies highlight the need for a new paradigm in aviation – that of the government/industry partnership. The forum is at pains to point out this is not about ‘capture’ of the regulator – just the opposite – it is a strengthening of capability.

While some bright spots and building blocks already exist – sector risk profiles, classification of operations, the Forsyth Report – they are being isolated rather than exploited.

A ‘new partnership’ will need a new vision from government and the new Minister – including a higher-level statement of expectations that will drive change.

It will necessarily require greater engagement from the Department of Infrastructure in setting, overseeing and pursuing the bigger picture and holding agencies to account for their performance. It will certainly require more powerful action from the CASA board and top management that rapidly delivers positive outcomes.

A critical component, however, is a commitment from industry – each and every association, business owner, pilot and LAME – to ensure every politician and senior bureaucrat sees first-hand the potential of our industry – as a critical and exciting part of Australia’s infrastructure and economy deserving vastly better government performance.