The AIP has always been the depository (suppository?) of the occasional legally unsupported strong opinion. One of the more prominent recent examples was the Mildura airport operator modifying the YMIA ERSA entry to purport to ban glider flights above the airport and ballooning and aerobatics within 5 nm. Minor issue was that the ban was not backed by any lawful exercise of power.
It was also interesting watching what used to be GAAPs being slowly AIP’d back into GAAPs after the transition to what was supposed to be ‘pure’ Class D. Before that there was the occasional outbreak of ‘clearance required before taxiing’ in GAAPs that had to be eradicated by complaint to Reg Meissner.
There is pervading folklore to the effect that merely putting stuff in AIP makes it a binding rule. But that’s not how it works.
The stuff in CARs and CASRs and CAOs (and MOSs and exemptions and approvals ect) is, simply as a consequence of the regulatory ‘reform’ paradigm, just an expression of the strong opinions of people in CASA. That’s not a conspiracy theory: it’s what the paradigm dictates. That’s one of the reasons for the regulatory dog’s breakfast that’s been produced and will continue to be produced, for ever.