I think, neville, that you are referring to the European situation where flights always carry an alternate? In Australia, you may be required to carry an alternate.
The only alternates CASA requires you to carry are weather or possibly a Navaid alternate. If you actually read the ICAO rules they say you should carry alternates for a whole host of other reasons, none of which appear in the Australian Regulations, I suspect this is what some of the foreigners here don't realise.