Summary heading

Agency Descriptive Note

Abolition

Creation

Established under the Air Services Act 1995, published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. S270, Airservices Australia (CA 8138) and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) (CA 8137) were the resultant government bodies formed to take over the functions of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) (CA 6842) when it was abolished on the 6 July 1995. Of these new Commonwealth Statutory Authorities, CASA took on the primary responsibility for the maintenance, enhancement and promotion of the safety of civil aviation in Australia whilst Airservices Australia took on the responsibility of delivering  safe and environmentally sound air traffic control management and related airside services to the aviation industry.

Functions and activities

Airservices Australia is a government owned corporation which provides air navigation and aviation rescue and fire fighting services, subject to regulation by the CASA and independent investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

From its inception, Airservices Australia assumed responsibility for:

Airspace management

Aeronautical Information

Communications

Radio navigation aids

Airport Rescue and fire fighting services

Aviation search and rescue (transferred to Australian Maritime Safety Authority [AMSA] in 1997)

As at the 30 June 2010, Airservices Australia was responsible for:

• providing facilities for the safe navigation of aircraft within Australian-administered airspace

• promoting and fostering civil aviation in Australia and overseas

• providing air traffic services, aviation rescue and fire fighting services, and aeronautical information, radio navigation and telecommunications services to give effect to the Chicago Convention or for purposes relating to the safety, regularity or efficiency of air navigation

• cooperating with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in investigations of aircraft accidents and incidents

• acting to protect the environment from the effects of or effects associated with the operation of Commonwealth jurisdiction aircraft or other aircraft, inside or outside Australia

• performing functions prescribed by the regulations in relation to the effects of and effects associated with the operation of Commonwealth jurisdiction aircraft

• performing any functions conferred under the Air Navigation Act 1920 or the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 or by regulation

• providing consultancy and management services relating to any of the above matters

• providing other services and facilities to use spare corporate capacity or to maintain or improve the skills of the organisation’s employees.

Legislation administered

Creation: Air Services Act 1995 (Air Services Act)

Administrative structure

Airservices Australia is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the responsible Federal Government Minister. Since 1995, the Airservices Board has consists of a Chairperson, a Deputy Chair, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)and six other non-executive directors. Directors are appointed by the Minister on a part-time basis, and the CEO is appointed by the Board. They are responsible for deciding the objectives, strategies and policies to be followed by Airservices Australia.

The Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with his executive managers whom together form the Executive Committee, is responsible for the management of air traffic control services, radar, navigation and communication facilities within Australian administered airspace, and rescue and fire fighting services at certain airports. The Committee provides management advice to the Board; the Safety and Environment, Security, Remuneration, New Business and Audit Committees.

The Federal Government Ministers responsible for Airservices Australia have been:

1997 - 1998 – Hon. Mark Vaile (Minister for Transport and Regional Development)

1988 - 2005 – Hon. John Anderson (Minister for Transport and Regional Services)

2005 - 2007 - Hon. Warren Truss (Minister for Transport and Regional Services)

2007-           - Hon. Anthony Albanese (Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government  / Minister for Infrastructure and Transport – from September 2010)

The Chairmen of Airservices Australia have been:

1995-1996 – John Pascoe

1996-2004 – John Forsyth

2004-2005 – Air Marshal Leslie Fisher (Acting Chairman)

2005-2008 – Nick Burton Taylor

The Chief Executive Officers for Airservices Australia have been:

1995 – 2000  Bill Pollard

2000-2005   Bernard Smith

2005-2005   Hisham El-Ansary (Acting CEO)

Historical agency address

Alan Woods Building

25 Constitution Avenue

Canberra ACT 2601

State/regional structure

Airservices central office is located in Canberra with two major operational centres in Melbourne and Brisbane. The Brisbane Centre is located at Brisbane Airport and assumes responsible for the airspace from 45 nautical miles north of Sydney, up to the airspace boundaries with Indonesia and Papua New Guinea in the north, and east to the airspace boundaries with New Zealand and Fiji. The Melbourne flight information region is managed from the Melbourne Airport and governs  the airspace for the southern half of Australia, the Southern and Indian oceans, from Indonesia to the South Pole and from halfway to New Zealand to halfway to Africa.

In conjunction with these main facilities there are twenty eight air traffic control towers managed by Airservices Australia at international and regional airports. The location of these facilities can be view at the following location http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aboutus/facilities/towers/default.asp.

Records created by the agency

Additional information

End notes

Sources

Airservices Australia website, Airservices Australia, accessed 20 June 2011

Civil Aviation Safety Authority website, Civil Aviation Safety Authority - Home, accessed 21 June 2011

Australian Government website, australia.gov.au, accessed 20 June 2011, accessed 21 June 2011

Airservices Australia Corporate Plan 2010-2015, pp.1-10

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 1997-1998, pp. 1-44

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 1998-1999, pp. 1-10

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 1999-2000, pp. 1 – 10

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2000-2001, pp 1-9

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2001-2002, pp 1-7

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2002-2003, pp 1-8

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2003-2004, pp 1-8

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2004-2005, pp 1-8

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2005-2006, pp 1-7

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2006-2007, pp 1-7

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2007-2008, pp 1-6

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2008-2009, pp 1-6

AirservicesAustralia  Annual Report 2009-2010, pp 1-39