The High Court delivered judgment in Work Health Authority v Outback Ballooning Pty Ltd on 6 February 2019 which has serious ramifications for aircraft operators because the High Court held that operators are subject not only to the civil aviation regulatory regime, but also subject to concurrent State and Territory occupational health and safety laws.

Further to our December 2018 Newsflash on the Government’s proposals for regulation of remotely piloted aircraft systems (“RPAs”), CASA has now released a Consultation Paper on RPA operation and RPA operator accreditation. In accordance with the Government’s proposals, CASA’s Consultation Paper proposes the registration and accreditation of RPAs that meet the following criteria:

Late last year, a suite of amendments to the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) came into force, a number of which will directly affect interactions between consumers and airlines/operators. The amendments follow the publication in April 2017 of a report by Consumer Affairs Australia New Zealand (CAANZ), which proposed 19 amendments to the ACL.