While I love reading the stuff above, if we have a problem in Australia, why don't we fix it?
I note in today's papers that new air routes in and out of Busselton are being developed and Kalgoorlie has re-surfaced their runway in order to start direct services to Melbourne and Adelaide. Where I live jet services into Hervey Bay are proliferating, Ballina will grow in importance, Mount Isa still thrives, which uncontrolled airport is next?
There are accepted world-wide practises that cater for such developments, but we continue to try to be unique and invent "Australian" solutions. If this was ever going to work we would have Australian solutions to everything! Something I do not observe outside of aviation.
1. Adopt the US Class E model to at least offer passengers in IFR aircraft separation from other IFR aircraft. (Waiting for universal ADS-B fitment is a pipe dream - so loved by Canberra!)
2. If our Government monopoly ANSP cannot provide improved aerodrome services due to political constraints (i.e Cost Recovery) then allow airports to manage their adjacent airspace.
We allow the ADF to do it although some of their airports are less busy than civil airports, Oakey and Nowra come to mind.
Why should the management of, say Ballina, not have the option to introduce an ATS to make their product more attractive to airlines and others. (Please spare me the babble about pilots not needing air traffic control, that seems to be another Australian solution)
An airport can voluntarily develop runways, taxiways, terminal buildings, buy an NDB, have a UNICOM or a CA/GRS. It cannot, however, create a control zone, build a control tower and employ air traffic controllers! To do this it requires the permission of two monolithic Canberra departments of Government, CASA and Airservices Australia. These two are allowed by their political masters to ignore world's best practise and continually kick cans down the road, waiting for what?
Oh, I forgot, ATSB thinks ADS-B will solve the problem, clearly they are not the solution, just part of the problem.