CASA yesterday made public its Forward Regulatory Program (FRP), which lays out plans for regulatory development in all sectors for the next year and beyond.
The FRP was published in conjunction with the GA Workplan and an updated RPAS/AAM regulatory roadmap.
"Our forward regulatory program ... shows our predicted regulatory development over the next 12 months and future years," CASA says. "It covers the entire change process, from developing policy to creating and implementing the legislation.
"We update the FRP yearly to meet the Minister’s Statement of Expectation (SoE)."
Changes in the FRP can impact several legislative instruments including the Civil Aviation Act 1988, Airspace Act 2007, Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 and Manuals of Standards (MOS).
"Our FRP gives the aviation industry and the public a view of the regulatory changes we have planned," CASA explains. "Some of these include:
- showing what we plan to do
- helping industry leaders with their decisions
- helping the aviation industry know when and how to work with us on these changes
- preparing industry for changes.
"The FRP shows legislation projects in development and takes into account government priorities and new technology."
Whilst many of the changes impacting general aviation are detailed more thoroughly in the 2025 GA Workplan, the FRP covers all sectors of aviation. Among the key aspects of the FRP are:
- consultation and development plans
- streamlining airworthiness maintenance regulations and aligning them with the flight operations rules
- CASR Part 119 MOS on passenger and cargo transport
- standards for remotely-piloted aerial systems (RPAS)
- updating aerodrome standards
- improving fatigue management rules
- improving safety management systems.
CASA points out that although project timelines are included in the FRP, some factors can cause delays or rescheduling due to circumstances like changing priorities, new government policies, a lack of resources and other issues.
The full FRP is available on the CASA website.