The Contestability Review into Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (30 January 2015)

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The release is a pilot contestability review, dated 30 January 2015, into Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS), a safety function currently delivered largely by Airservices Australia under CASA regulation. It examines four options: retaining the Airservices national network with regulatory reform, making airport operators legally responsible for ARFFS, introducing contestability at capital city airports only, and adding eligible providers to the regulatory table. ARFFS operates at 28 airports, with Airservices at 26. The review concludes that the already-agreed regulatory policy review should drive efficiency gains before contestability is considered. It flags risks including safety, costs, regional aviation impacts, a possible need for stronger CASA oversight of up to 27 providers, and limited overseas benchmarking data. Some passages are redacted under sections 47G(1)(a) and 47E(d).