White paper to map aviation industry's future
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Flying to the future: Today's white paper will set out the war forward for Australia's aviation sector (ABC News: Giulio Saggin, file photo)
The Federal Government will today set out its plans for the next decade in Australia's $6.4 billion aviation industry.
The aviation white paper will cover issues surrounding safety, security, airport planning and workforce shortages.
It will identify the need for a second airport in Sydney, but is not expected to nominate a site.
Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese says in the past there has been an ad hoc approach to the aviation industry.
"The Government's aim in the white paper is to give industry the certainty and the incentive to plan and invest for the long-term, to maintain and improve aviation safety, but to also give clear commitments to travellers and the airport users and the communities that are affected by aviation communities," he said.
The preliminary document released a year ago nominated safety as the Government's number one priority.
"Safety and security are the first priority of any government and the first responsibility," Mr Albanese said.
The strategy is also expected to address the shortages of pilots, engineers and air-traffic controllers, as well dealing with problems of aircraft noise and planning issues for airports.
The paper will also look at ways to increase aviation services for regional areas, but it is not expected to change the requirement for Australia's international airlines to have majority Australian ownership.
