CASA Chairman Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Mark Binksin has said that respect and trust for the aviation safety regulator depend on four pillars.
Binskin, who took over as CASA chair last year, made the comments in a video speech released this week that was delivered as the PG Taylor address to the Safeskies conference in September.
"I said at the start of the year that I wanted CASA to be a regulator that is respected and trusted by those we regulate," he said.
"The four pillars of that push are transparency, collaboration, a focus on the aviation community and a commitment to making a difference to safety.
"We are not just looking at the efficacy of what we do, but also the cost and the impact on the industry and individual operators."
Although Binkin's comments address several concerns the general aviation community has expressed about dealing with CASA, he also cautioned the industry that they won't always get what they want.
" ... this doesn’t mean we will be able to be everyone’s friend," he said. We are still the regulator, and we are committed to ensuring the safety of the millions of Australians who are returning to the skies, and who put their trust in us.
"We are also dedicated to ensuring that the Australian aviation system maintains its global reputation as one of the world’s safest.
"But I want operators and aviation organisations to understand why we have made decisions. It may sometimes be the case that people do not like what we do, but we intend to make sure that they understand why we do it."
The concept of respect and trust as key to reforming CASA was first stated in the regulatory philosophy introduced by former Director of Aviation Safety Mark Skidmore in 2015. That philosophy itself was the result of a recommendation made the previous year in the Aviation Safety Regulation Review.
The full transcript of Binskin's speech to Safeskies is on the CASA website.