ASAs gather for professional development week

Our aviation safety advisors (ASAs), often described as the ‘eyes and ears of CASA,’ recently gathered in Canberra for their biannual professional development week.

This vital event brings together team members from across the country, providing an opportunity to collaborate in person, discuss safety-related issues observed in the field, and stay informed on key developments within CASA.

The ASAs play a crucial role in both sharing safety information with industry and gathering insights from the field. This feedback plays an important role in shaping regulatory decisions and identifying emerging safety risks across all sectors – from sport and recreational aviation to general aviation and air transport.

During the week, the team engaged with various other CASA teams, including aerodromes, risk management, and operations regulation implementation. These discussions focused on upcoming regulatory changes and key safety initiatives, ensuring the team remains equipped to support industry effectively.

‘A major focus of the week was refining plans for industry education over the coming months,’ says Tim Penney, acting section manager, Industry Engagement.

‘The team developed a range of new webinar topics as part of the pilot safety education campaign. These monthly webinars will roll out progressively, providing targeted safety information to pilots and engineers.

‘Additionally, planning is well underway for the next round of aviation safety seminars, set to launch in the third quarter of this year.

‘This series will focus on decision-making in aviation – an area that underpins many accident causes, including fuel exhaustion, loss of control, and visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions. By examining how pilots and engineers make critical decisions, the team aims to reduce risk and improve safety outcomes.’

Also on the agenda were the Avalon Airshow and the upcoming wet season seminar in Darwin – 2 key aviation activities that play an essential role in our industry engagement and safety awareness.

‘With Avalon fast approaching in March, the ASAs used this time to prepare for our stakeholder engagement efforts at this major industry event,’ Tim explains.

‘Avalon provides a valuable opportunity to connect directly with industry, reinforce safety messages, and gather feedback from across the aviation sector. You’ll be seeing more information about our involvement at Avalon roll out in the next few weeks.

‘We also discussed the wet season seminar which is scheduled for October and brings together industry and government agencies to discuss seasonal safety challenges.’

The team also welcomed Melanie Waddell, a flying operations inspector from CASA’s Melbourne office, who has joined ASA on a 6-month secondment.

‘Her expertise will help strengthen collaboration between the ASAs and the Regulatory Oversight Division, ensuring a coordinated approach to identifying and mitigating industry risks,’ adds Tim.

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