I ran a number of airshows in the late eighties. In that era, guys from CASA would turn up and HELP. By help, I mean sleeves rolled physical moving things, etc. They would be a source of advice and I can recall one instance when were were in danger of doing something wrong and the CASA guy had a quite discussion with the airshow director, told him the concerns and helped in the countermeasure.
Just think about that. A CASA guy working face to face with people to provide advice and system to create a safer event. Not a wet behind the ear public servant holding a rule book and looking for a reason to prosecute someone.
How on earth did we get here?
Talking to some guys that run airshows now, the hardest parts is not CASA (although they could be in no way described as helpful). The hardest part is the local council, insurance, creating risk management plans, making sure all the food vendors have the proper food handling certificates, etc.
There used to be a lot of airshows - country flying clubs, etc. Now there are few. There was (to my recollection) no incidents that demanded making running them harder, but now you pretty much need 2 years planning and a full time guy to deal with the bureaucracy.