If Bob owns a Cessna 172 and I have a private pilots licence to fly 172s, I can charge Bob anything I like and Bob can pay me anything he likes for me to fly him around for his personal transport, and that’s a private flight for which no AOC or commercial pilots licence is required.
Correct. The executive aviation division of very large Australian mining company employed and paid pilots and operated a fleet of executive aircraft for many years, domestic and international, as a private operation, no AOC. A Police Air Wing employs non Police officer pilots and operated what was effectively a scheduled air service as a private operation, no AOC. Non Police Government passengers, witnesses etc were carried and the cost recovered from other Government Departments.
Perhaps Longrass should look at Aerial Work definitions in CAR 206 (1) (a):
(viii) carriage, for the purposes of trade, of goods being the property of the pilot, the owner or the hirer of the aircraft (not being a carriage of goods in accordance with fixed schedules to and from fixed terminals);
(ix) any other purpose that is substantially similar to any of those specified in subparagraphs (i) to (vii) (inclusive);
"
substantially similar" would include employees of "..
the pilot, the owner or the hirer of the aircraft.." if CASA so wished.