If you are the registered operator, you don't need to remove any of the seats. It won't be a passenger transport operation:
(e) if the registered operator of an aircraft is an individual—an operation of the aircraft:
(i) that involves the carriage of that individual; and
(ii) involves the carriage of other passengers; and
(iii) for which no payment or reward is made or given in relation to the carriage of the other passengers or cargo.
And I don't think removal of seats gets you around the maximum seat configuration part of the definition of "cost-sharing" flight, if you want to go down that path. The maximum seat configuration of the aircraft remains the same, doesn't it, even if seats happen to be removed at a particular point in time?