Fri, Feb 27, 2004
Australia's Improved Air Safety Enforcement
Australia’s
aviation industry is now subject to a new set of procedures to
enforce air safety. The government says new procedures give the
Civil Aviation Safety Authority(CASA) a more balanced set of
enforcement tools, as well as opening up enforcement decisions to
greater scrutiny by the courts and tribunals.
Changes to enforcement came into effect this week, creating,
what CASA considers, a fairer and more transparent system for
ensuring air operators, maintenance organizations and other people
in the aviation industry comply with safety rules. CASA’s
chief executive officer, Bruce Byron, says the new system will
ensure the punishment fits the crime.
“The reforms provide an appropriate balance between
enhancing natural justice and maintaining CASA’s powers to
take action on safety breaches,” Byron said. “They will
enable CASA to focus its limited resources on incidents which have
significant safety implications.”
The key changes are:
- A demerit points scheme for breaches of regulations
- Enforceable voluntary undertakings to ensure compliance with
regulations
- Protection for self-reporting of inadvertent breaches
- Automatic stays of most suspension and cancellation decisions
pending an Administrative Appeals Tribunal review
- Federal Court review of CASA decisions to suspend an
authorization in cases of serious and imminent risk to air
safety.
Byron says the new system means there will be a measured
response by CASA to minor breaches of the safety regulations.
“Prosecution or the suspension or cancellation of
certificates or licenses should be reserved for serious safety
problems. Less serious regulatory breaches can now be dealt with
using these new enforcement tools. But people who deliberately
operate outside the rules or who put the lives of fare-paying
passengers at risk should be prosecuted and -- if necessary --
removed from the aviation industry.”
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