Summary
The ATSB Annual Review documents ATSB's achievements and safety
activities from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 and outlines its
business planning for 2004-2005.
Executive Director's message
The ATSB had a busy and productive year in 2003-04 in all
modes.
In its aviation activities,the ATSB released 63 investigation
reports including important reports on fatal accidents at Hamilton
Island, Bankstown, Moorabbin and Toowoomba and on a Saab 340
serious icing incident near Bathurst. The Bureau generated 46 air
safety recommendations including those arising from the Hamilton
Island investigation, on Robinson helicopter blades, and concering
the National Airspace System following a close proximity serious
incident near Launceston.
The ATSB marine unit released 17 reports including on the
Doric Chariot and the Star Sea Bridge accidents
and also completed two reports on Sydney ferry accidents. ATSB rail
outputs included an important investigation report into the Spencer
Street, Melbourne 'runaway' train accident and into a level
crossing accident at Aloomba in Queensland. The ATSB's twentytwo
2003-04 road safety research and statistical reports included
important reports on vehicle conspicuity and rural speed.
Using new 2003-04 Budget funding, the ATSB prepared and released
10 aviation research and analysis reports, developed a new rail
safety investigation database (RIASIS) on time and under budget,
initiated five new rail investigations on the Defined Interstate
Rail Network, and established a new marine non-mandatory
confidential safety reporting scheme.
During 2003-04, the Transport Safety Investigation Act
2003 (TSI Act) and Regulations applied to all new ATSB
investigations in aviation, marine and interstate rail modes.
Gratifyingly, there were no major problems encountered with the new
legislation.
The ATSB continued to release all of its significant safety
outputs to the public and hits on the ATSB website
www.atsb.gov.au again increased to an annual rate of
around eight million by the end of the financial year.
Steady progress was made with jurisdictions and stakeholders on
road safety but with great challenges remaining to meet or better
the 2010 target of no more than 5.6 road deaths per 100,000
population and to reduce serious injuries. A particular highlight
was the release of a substantial road safety publication to mark
World Health Day on 7 April 2004.
On 10 November 2003, the major ATSB aviation investigation
report on maintenance problems with the Ansett Boeing 767 fleet
received the Flight Safety Foundation's prestigious Cecil A.
Brownlow publication award at a ceremony in Washington DC. The ATSB
completed the investigation into the fatal crash of an Ilyushin
IL76 aircraft near Baucau in a joint investigation on behalf of
East Timor with the Australian Defence Force and in cooperation
with Russian investigators. The report was released on the ATSB
website after the East Timor Cabinet and senior officials had been
briefed by the ATSB.
The backlog of old marine investigation reports was reduced and
the number of investigations on hand at 30 June 2004 was nine
compared with 19 a year earlier. Unfortunately, similar progress
was not made in aviation because of other pressures and
constraints, including preparation for a major audit undertaken by
ICAO.
The Bureau's 2003-04 achievements, including with its additional
2003-04 Federal Budget funding for new aviation safety research,
rail investigation and confidential marine reporting activities,
were necessarily constrained by a 10.7 percent budget reduction
applied to all groups as part of the Department's 'work out/work
up' strategy. However, reflecting the Government's clear priority
for the ATSB's work, the Department's Executive decided to exempt
ATSB from the further round of planned Budget reductions which was
required across the remainder of the Department in 2004-05. The
Bureau was grateful for Federal Budget funding announced in May
2004 to ease pressures in aviation investigation and to enable
replacement of the OASIS aviation safety database.
During the year the Bureau continued to liaise with and seek to
improve cooperation and mutual understanding with Coroners around
Australia and agreed the terms of a template memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with the Coroner's representative, the Chief
Magistrate of Tasmania, Mr Arnold Shott, with whom an MoU was
signed in June.
A number of valued staff members retired during the year or
prior to publication of this Review. I acknowledge in particular
the contributions of Chris Brooks in road safety, Nick Rutherford
in marine investigation and Rob Graham in leading safety
investigations and work on IT systems.
I am grateful to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for
Transport and Regional Services, the Hon. John Anderson and to the
Secretary of the Department of Transport and Regional Services, Mr
Ken Matthews, for their support throughout the year. It was also a
pleasure working with Minister Campbell on road safety prior to his
elevation to Cabinet in July 2004 and replacement by Minister
Lloyd. The ATSB was again grateful for the bipartisan support it
received for its safety work. The ATSB's ongoing effective role as
the Australian Government's primary transport safety investigator
remains reliant on both the perceptions and reality of its
independence, fairness and professionalism.
Kym Bills
Download Complete Document:
annual_review_2004 [
PDF: 1.94MB]
Type: Annual Review
Publication Date: 16/10/2004
ISBN: 1877071846
ISSN: 14444798