Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Macdonald, Senator Sterle and Senator O’Brien for their contributions and comments on the bills. I also thank the work of the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government and the minister’s office. The Civil Aviation Amendment Bill 2009 and the Transport Safety Investigation Amendment Bill 2009 will strengthen Australia’s aviation safety regime and honour a pledge that the minister made when releasing the government’s aviation green paper late last year.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority will have its governance enhanced by the creation of an expert board to provide high-level direction to the organisation’s regulatory and safety oversight role. The Civil Aviation Amendment Bill will also make changes to improve CASA’s oversight of foreign carriers flying into Australia. The bill strengthens the provisions for preventing operators from continuing to operate services where CASA considers it unsafe for them to continue. Finally, it closes a gap in the current legislation by introducing an additional offence of negligently carrying or consigning dangerous goods on an aircraft. The Transport Safety Investigation Amendment Bill reinforces the ATSB’s independent status by establishing it as a separate statutory agency with a full-time chief commissioner and two part-time commissioners. It also gives the ATSB new powers to compel agencies and operators within the aviation industry to respond to its formal recommendation within 90 days. The amendments in these two bills strengthen public confidence in the safety and reliability of air travel.

Question agreed to.

Bills read a second time.