Issues have been uncovered in the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s (CASA) surveillance approach. 

An audit from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) says CASA has some gaps in its surveillance regime. 

It defines ‘surveillance’ as operational checks of equipment, inspections of premises and assessments of safety performance.

In 2019/2020, CASA did not conduct 230 of 306 planned surveillance events, as border shutdowns impacted both international and domestic travel. 

The audit found that the risk-likelihood in prioritising surveillance projects was an issue, and that there was a lack of consistency in the application of surveillance across sectors, as well as delays in identifying key areas of focus for surveillance. 

ANAO’s say despite CASA’s National Oversight Plan (NOP) containing high-level principles, it needed a detailed and specific project plan to support it. 

CASA says it is working to formally implement the NOP by the end of 2022-23.

The audit also uncovered a reduction in the level of detail in surveillance reporting, and that the efficacy of its surveillance was not reported to the board. 

The report also flagged issues with CASA’s management of staff’s conflicts of interest. 

An internal report last year found 30 per cent of staff who declared a conflict of interest when they applied for the job but had not made a declaration within the week of commencing the job, as is required.

CASA has pledged to update its online system for staff to declare their conflicts of interest, as well as several other recommendations made by the ANAO.