Ken Cannane, Executive Director of the Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA) has called for the structure of CASA to be enshrined in the Civil Aviation Act.
Speaking in the AMROBA January 2020 newsletter, Cannane said constant changes to the CASA structure were detrimental to aviation industry.
"For too long industry has had to watch CASA being restructured every time a new CEO is appointed resulting in a loss of experienced staff," Cannane states. "Australia has determined that CASA has specific functions under the Chicago Convention but does not specify these requirements in the Civil Aviation Act.
"AMROBA strongly recommends that CASA’s basic functions and structure should be clearly specified in the Civil Aviation Act. Australia has ICAO obligations, subject to Annexes of the Convention, that describes its structure. ICAO guidance for a Contracting State’s aviation regulator should be included in the Civil Aviation Act to stop the continual restructuring wasting millions of dollars.
CASA has had three Directors of Aviation Safety/CEO in the past 10 years, with the largest structural change coming in the short tenure of AVM (Retd) Mark Skidmore. Skidmore created a three-group structure which has evolved into a flatter five-group hierarchy under his predecessor, current DAS Shane Carmody. An internal "realignment" last year moved the General Aviation, Recreation and Sport office from Aviation Group to Stakeholder Engagement, which is largely the only major change under Carmody that directly impacts the aviation community.
"Over the decades, industry has had to re-adjust their contact with CASA and its predecessor many times as they continually re-structure internally as each Director of Aviation Safety/CEO of CASA is appointed," Cannane said. "Every time it happens, CASA loses experienced staff.
"This can be reduced by amendments to the Civil Aviation Act being more specific regarding CASA functions and responsibilities."
Shane Carmody was appointed to the DAS position permanently in 2017 and has two years to run on his five-year contract.