EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Statement of Expectations for Airservices Australia
from 1 November 2025 to 30 June 2027
Issued by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
Air Services Act 1995
Outline
This Statement of Expectations (SoE) is issued by the Minister as a notice under subsection 17(1) of the Air Services Act 1995 (the Act), addressed to Airservices Australia (Airservices).
Subsection 17(1) of the Act provides that the Minister may notify Airservices in writing of the Minister’s views on Airservices’ appropriate strategic direction and the manner in which Airservices should perform its functions.
This SoE outlines the Minister’s expectations of Airservices for the period 1 November 2025 to 30 June 2027, and replaces the current SoE issued on 30 June 2023.
The SoE includes sections on governance, strategic direction and manner of performance, service level, key initiatives and stakeholder engagement. Airservices is also expected to comply with relevant legislation.
The SoE refers to ‘Airservices’ throughout, which relates to both the Airservices Board and Airservices as an organisation. Where an expectation relates to a specific party, the party is specified.
In preparing the SoE, the Government has consulted with experts in Airservices and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), as the persons likely to be affected by the instrument. Consultation was undertaken through electronic communications and meetings during the period 17 April to 4 September 2025. All contributions from Airservices and CASA were considered in developing the SoE.
This notice, issued under subsection 17(1) of the Act, is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2003. Table item 2 in section 10 of the Legislation (Exemptions and Other Matters) Regulation 2015 provides that notices given under subsection 17(1) of the Act are not subject to disallowance, as their ongoing effect is important for the purposes of air traffic management safety.
Details of the SoE are set out in Attachment A below.
Authority: Subsection 17(1) of the Air Services Act 1995
ATTACHMENT A
Details of the Statement of Expectations
Section 1: Overview
This section confirms the name of the instrument, its duration, its replacement of the SoE issued on 30 June 2023.
Section 2: Governance
This section sets out the Minister’s expectations of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer of Airservices, including effective management of Airservices’ resources, capabilities, strategic direction, risks, corporate planning, operations and organisational capacity.
Notification of significant decisions and issues
This section outlines the Minister’s expectation that Airservices’ Board notifies the Minister and the department of any significant decisions or issues, as soon as practicable, as per section 19 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (the PGPA Act).
Airservices’ Board should notify the Minister in writing, at the earliest opportunity and no later than 10 business days after it makes a significant decision or becomes aware of a significant issue that has or many affect Airservices.
The term ‘significant’ is not defined and carries its natural meaning (i.e. noteworthy, important, consequential). When determining whether a decision or issue is significant, Airservices should consider materiality (importance relative to Airservices’ size and operations), occurrence (one-off or systemic) and risk (whether it is likely to be politically sensitive, and the likely or actual impact on the reputation, public perception, financial position or financial sustainability of Airservices or the Government).
Significant decisions may include, but are not limited to:
- restructuring of Airservices’ capital structure, including restructuring of debts or raising of new debts;
- changes to capital expenditure, including any delays to expenditure, as well as any new expenditure not outlined in the Corporate Plan; and
- changes to Airservices’ dividend policy.
Significant issues may include, but are not limited to:
- any information that may have a material effect on Airservices’ value and/or performance, e.g. significant changes to the business environment and risks which may impact planned activities and financial projections, such as revenue and dividends;
- significant instances of non-compliance with finance law in relation to Airservices (under section 19(1)(e) of the PGPA Act); and
- significant business initiatives, which cannot wait to be included in the normal corporate planning cycle, e.g. new business ventures, major contracts, and capital raising proposals.
Information on activities
This section outlines the Minister’s expectation that Airservices’ keeps the Minister and the department informed of its’ activities. Airservices should provide this information via its’ routine reporting, including but not limited to quarterly progress reports, which should be provided within 8 weeks of the end of quarter.
Activities include, but are not limited to:
- any significant activities and changes that may or have affected the operations, performance or structure Airservices;
- any significant changes in the overall financial structure and condition of Airservices;
- any events or risks that could cause financial information that is reported to not be indicative of future operations or financial condition; and
- any matter or circumstance that it can reasonably be anticipated will have a significant impact on Airservices future operation or financial results.
Strategic meeting
This section also outlines that Airservices will invite a member of the department’s Senior Executive or a nominated department official to an annual strategic meeting to discuss Airservices’ performance.
Section 3: Strategic direction and manner of performance
This section sets out the Minister’s expectations regarding Airservices’ strategic direction and manner of performance of its key functions, statutory requirements, financial monitoring and international obligations.
Section 4: Service Level
This section sets out the Minister’s expectations regarding the level of services delivered by Airservices across its Air Traffic and Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Services.
This includes requirements for Airservices to act in accordance with relevant legislation and the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998; and requirements regarding ‘noise minimisation measures’ consistent with Airservices’ functions and responsibilities.
Section 5: Key Initiatives
This section outlines the Minister’s expectation that Airservices will focus on key initiatives outlined within this section, and the manner in which Airservices will fulfil its related obligations.
The following documents mentioned in this section can be obtained as follows:
- Australian Airspace Policy Statement – this provides guidance to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) on the administration of Australian airspace, and can be freely obtained at https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2021L01589/latest/text.
- Ministerial Direction dated 30 July 1997 – this provides direction concerning the Sydney Airport long term operating plan, and can be freely obtained at https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2009B00158/asmade/text.
- Noise Action Plan for Brisbane – this outlines Airservices’ plan to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on the communities of the wider Brisbane area, and as at the date this instrument can be freely obtained from Airservices at https://engage.airservicesaustralia.com/nap4b.
Section 6: Stakeholder Engagement
This section details the Minister’s expectations that Airservices will effectively, productively and regularly engage with stakeholders and keep them informed with critical information, such as Air Traffic Service disruptions, and actions being taken to address the causes of such disruptions.
This section also outlines specific contributions and engagement activities the Minister expects Airservices to undertake, and the manner in which these should be performed.
Section 7: Schedules
This section includes a repeal schedule to repeal all previous SoEs.
Human Rights Compatibility
This is a legislative instrument which is not subject to disallowance. Consequently, no Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights is required (per section 9 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011).
The Hon. Catherine King MP
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government