Zealots on a crusade for a noble cause, taking advantage of a change in CEO/Chairman.
I said this in my submission to the GA inquiry:
When a young Australian commits suicide because he has been told that, on the basis of anachronistic standards enforced with a crusader's zeal by CASA, his colour vision deficiency will prevent him from achieving his childhood dream of becoming an international airline captain, there is no negative impact on the safety of air navigation. But there is a cost which should not have been paid. (At least the New Zealand civil aviation safety regulatory comprehends this.)
In my supplementary submission I said:
I consider and submit that CASA's response, to the New Zealand CAA's [then] recent announcement that colour vision deficiency would now be treated as an operational competence issue rather than a medical fitness issue was - frankly - childish. Rather than accept the objective evidence of the 21st century - as the NZ CAA has done - and adopt, as the '3rd level' test, an operational competence test, CASA suggested that Australian pilots with colour vision deficiency should arrange to undergo the test under the New Zealand rules. CASA steadfastly leaves the unlawfully-determined CAD test as the '3rd level' test for Australian purposes. This is the behaviour of people who will steadfastly maintain the same opinion, irrespective of what new evidence is put before them, because they are "convinced of their righteousness" [which is a quote from an accepted definition of noble cause corruption and those who usually suffer from it].
This is the product of very small (usually men) with very big egos who enjoy putting stress on people and ruining their lives.