Senator Nick Xenophon successfully moved to disallow the CASR Part 145 Manual of Standards legislation in the senate on Wednesday.
CASR Part 145 covers the regulations for maintenance organisations, and has been the subject of heavy criticism, particularly by the Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA).
Senator Xenophon rose in the senate on Wednesday and moved a motion for the Manual of Standards for Part 145 to be disallowed.
"Primarily, the impact of these regulations is to reduce the safety of Australia's aircraft maintenance regime by transferring the authorisation to certify airworthiness of aircraft from licenced engineers to non-licenced and less-qualified people," he said in proposing the motion.
"The role of licenced aircraft engineers is vital. They have a thorough and sound knowledge of the aircraft as a whole—they know them nose to tail and back to front, and from wing tip to wing tip. And, while the other individuals who may work on specific areas of maintenance are undoubtedly experts in their particular field, I am concerned that they do not have the same comprehensive 'big picture' knowledge as licensed aircraft mechanical engineers."
Senator Xenophon went on to express the fear of the Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association that Part 145 may even make it illegal for engineers to conduct maintenance that they have been doing safely for decades.
Senator Cash, representing the government, said the Senate should deny the motion to disallow.
"The motion would wind back the clock on regulatory principles which have been in place since 2011," Senator Cash said. "If successful, the disallowance motion would prevent important safety measures being incorporated into the Part 145 Manual of Standards, or MOS, and impose additional regulatory burdens on the Australia's approved maintenance organisations without any demonstrated improvements in aviation safety.
"It cannot be supported without setting back the process of modernising Australia's aviation safety maintenance regulations, introduced by the previous government and supported by this government."
With the support of the Labor opposition, the motion to disallow was carried by a vote of 34 to 30.