Australia gets stronger aviation laws

Draft laws to strengthen Australia's aviation laws have passed the Senate without
amendment.

The first of the two bills will re-establish a board for the Civil Aviation Safety
Authority (CASA) and give it greater powers to check the safety of foreign airlines
operating in Australia.
The second bill, which was debated simultaneously with the first bill, ensures the
independence of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) by making it a
statutory authority.
It comes after a Senate inquiry into CASA's role as aviation watchdog found it had
failed to push through major safety reforms.
The inquiry also found that some CASA staff had forged "unduly close relationships
with some members of the industry and pursuing personal agendas against others".
Labor senator Kerry O'Brien, who is a key member of the rural, regional affairs and
transport committee, told the Senate the bills would enable aviation laws to be
drastically improved.
It "will allow aviation safety in this country to be improved and for a level of
administration for Australian aviation to take a step into probably what will be an
important phase given all of the challenges," Senator O'Brien said.
Whether economic conditions were strong or weak, there would be challenges, he said.
"If the airlines are going to fail for financial reasons then that's the time when
corners are likely to be cut, and when corners are likely to be cut then safety is
at risk and we need to be ever more vigilant."