The regulators have simply stopped regulating, Banks, Boeing, FAA, CASA etc. The overriding philosophy is "it is better to profit now, and if necessary, repent later", Self regulation, light touch, whatever you want to call it. The banking Royal Commission is the exemplar. This is fascism, the melding of business and government into one, with all the Orwellian dystopian overtones that envisages.
However, it appears the top of flight operations hierarchy are simply too blinded by ideological by rage, and too stupid to fathom the consequences of their own actions. He is not a details man. The union would have saved them from themselves, but no he had to ambush everyone, including, ultimately himself. A masterstroke of incompetence.
I wonder what the AOC holder thinks of his man?