Here is a post from a Journalism [May 12, 2012] student:
http://www.nowuc.com.au/2012/05/01/one-word-stymies-request-to-casa/
which in part says:
I recently submitted a request to the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority (CASA) requesting documents relating to public complaints received in the preceding 18 months. Given the unprecedented safety issues with both Tiger Airways and Qantas during this time, I was quite surprised when I received official correspondence stating that no such documents existed.
This led me to two possible conclusions. Firstly, that there had been no complaints made to CASA during this time or secondly, that CASA had failed to meet their obligations under the Freedom of Information Act. I found the former unlikely, and the latter unsettling.
Intrigued, I contacted the media department for clarification. I received a prompt response from the Manager Corporate Communications, Peter Gibson. It was a brief, albeit, important lesson in the power of bureaucratic process.
“It (a 24-hour hotline) is for people in the aviation industry to report problems, issues, safety concerns etc. As such, people don’t ‘complain’ about safety issues, they report them,” he said.
It was hard not to feel frustrated and exacerbated by the response. It was clear that the intention of my request was to receive documents pertaining to any public notifications sent to CASA that highlighted aircraft safety issues. CASA did not make any attempt to clarify my request or assist me to obtain the documents I was seeking. This flies in the face of recent changes to the FOI laws.
Certainly it seems there are non-aviation people who see the problem as well.