EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by Authority of the Minister for Transport and Regional Services
Airspace Act 2007
Proclamation
Subsection 2(1) of the Airspace Act 2007 (the Act) provides that sections 3 to 15 of the Act commence on a day to be fixed by Proclamation. However, if any of the provisions of sections 3 to 15 do not commence within six months of the date the Airspace Act receives the Royal Assent, then those provisions commence on the first day after the end of that six month period. The Act received the Royal Assent on 30 March 2007.
The purpose of this Proclamation was to fix 1 July 2007 as the day on which Sections 3 to 15 to the Act commenced. Sections 3 to 15 are the operative provisions of the Act.
The Act establishes the requirement for an Australian Airspace Policy Statement and a head of power for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to regulate and administer Australian-administered airspace. All the provisions of the Act, other than sections 3 to 15, commenced on Royal Assent.
The 1 July 2007 commencement date was announced to the aviation community as the date that CASA would become the airspace regulator. Extensive preparations have been made for CASA to begin functioning as the airspace regulator from this date, including changed processes for industry.
The proposed Proclamation is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.