...and sadly Cpt Bloggs, the regulator aint worth a pinch if s#*t now!
I raised an issue over Medicals back awhile ago and the only time I got a response was after I went to the media and things happened fast then. I received an email and my medical 6am the Friday the story was posted in The Australian! A few in AVMED lost there jobs, medicals now processed in 3 days etc etc.
Since when did Australia become a place like China/Asia by which you need to shame people in public, to get an honest result... instead of once being "the yard stick" which many people looked up to?
CASA have screwed the pooch big time with the prohibitive litigiousness, costs & red tape, that to try and start an airline; get your Instructors Rating or even just be compliant in GA is utter and total b#ll.
73qanda covers it well, in that those trying to steer the ship, have no idea what the ship is for or it's workings! Many sirens are blaring away but they are oblivious to them or their reasons why.
Such examples include crewing experience shortfalls; crewing numbers shortage; Fatigue Management systems; Safety Management; Engineering quality assurance; Rostering "maximisation"...
I'll expand on that last point as it's a classic example and a big reason why many experienced crew hemorrhaged away from
VB (back in the day) and is a great example - Kronos rostering came in to fix all the issues and iron out a massive Domestic roster at first (thence International later). First few months... brilliant! 75-80% satisfaction rating as everyone could lodge their preferences and the Canadian computer system would spit out the best optimum on given work rules. Everyones happy... sweet... until HR start pressing the "override button" to extend duties to max. Result? Discord, complaints... then resignations, slow at first but then a stream.
The lesson for desk jockeys & HR is that Flight & Duty Limitations ARE NOT A GOAL TO REACH but a MAXIMUM limitation by which you will lose and cost you money. Examples to see are littered everywhere on a daily basis throughout the globe.
Sadly, like the Banking & Financial Industry, their regulators - ATSIC & APRA have been "asleep at the wheel" or on holidays.
It's all very nice to hand over responsibility to the operators for many of the programs but CASA need to get a spine and start policing those who don't have their Fatigue Management Systems, their Quality Assurance; Part142; Safety Management Systems in place already... otherwise you're just as bad and corrupt as your Northern neighbors.