Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss tabled in parliament this morning the government's response to the Aviation Safety Regulation Review (Forsyth Report).
In all, the government has said it will support, or further investigate 36 of the 37 recommendations made in the Forsyth Report.
"The Report confirms that Australia has an advanced aviation regulatory system in place and one of the safest regular public transport systems in the world," Minister Truss said in a speech to Parliament.
"Australia also has sound safety governance arrangements which ensure that the regulatory, investigative and service provision roles of our key aviation agencies are properly separated.
"However given the speed with which the global and domestic aviation industry is changing, we need to look for continuous improvement in our aviation safety regulatory system.
"We need to update our system to reflect the growing diversity of our aviation industry.
"The Report has identified areas where our present arrangements, structures and relationships can be improved to ensure Australia remains a leading aviation State.
"The Report made 37 recommendations, many relating to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), but others have implications for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), Airservices Australia (Airservices), my Department and the Department of Defence."
On the sensitive subject of CASA's culture, the response states: "While the Government recognises that there will inevitably be some tension in the relationship between a regulator and industry participants, there is clearly capacity to significantly improve CASA’s engagement and relationships with industry in areas such as regulatory development and implementation.
"The Government has agreed with a number of recommendations intended to facilitate an improved relationship between CASA and industry. These recommendations recognise that industry plays a vital role in helping to develop and maintain a modern, safe and appropriate aviation system in Australia.
"The Government notes that the principles underpinning concepts of 'just culture' should apply to industry and the aviation regulator alike."
The government response is available from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development website.