The problem, Currawong, is that the ASIC is a legal figleaf for the Government, nothing more. As others have pointed out, it is not an obstacle to terrorist activity unless it is actively policed and that doesn’t happen outside airports that have no GA operations anyway (eg. YMML).
The assumption is that the majority of terrorists are like pedophiles. They will be repeat offenders hence a record check will stop them. The reality is terrorists are “one off” offenders and an ASIC check will not find the really dangerous ones - just the occasional idiot who mouths off in some mosque.
So we are stuck with something that isn’t policed. That isn’t going to identify dangerous terrorists. In other words can’t prevent an attack outside YMML, YSSY, etc. In other words an ineffective waste of time and a huge cost burden on law abiding people.
It is one of a range of “initiatives “ that protect the Government “brand” that have huge, expensive, unjust and counterproductive consequences right across Australian society.
Examples? The entire “domestic violence” industry for starters. Then there is the “consorting” laws that prevent me from ever talking to a black sheep nephew with a view to his rehabilitation because doing that would immediately prevent other relatives in the legal industry from ever talking to me. There are dozens of “catch 22” laws like that and the ASIC is in my opinion just another one.