Giles,
Comparing Oz air traffic to what you guys have to do in Europe is frought with danger. We have far less traffic, less radar coverage hence more procedural control, some huge sectors, some are more than 10 times the size of the UK. Apples and oranges.
I can't speak for ANSA, he's now in the ME, but I went and looked at our bible for ATC, MATS. I'm about to return to our training section as an instructor, so I thought a quick troll through the books would be good.
Our documents are meant to be ICAO compliant, but of course what we are meant to say, and what we actually say are often different.
the Manual of Air Traffic Services says that we should say,
"turn left/right heading XXX" or "turn left/right XXX degrees, report heading"
This is also how we train our controllers, and what most of them would also say. Use of degrees in headings is regarded like saying PIN number. A tautology. So far there have been no incidents in regard to giving headings with changes of level in Oz, as far as I can recall.
As for QNH. In Oz we say altitude in feet to A100 (10,000 feet), then we use flight level above that. Our transition layer is A100-F110. Also, QNH world wide (if my met lessons are remembered correctly) is measured in hectopascals (HPA) not millibars. Millibars went out with centigarde for temperature. Happens when your government changes completely to the metric system of measurement. And we do not have to say HPA with QNH. No Oz ATC does anyway, and no incidents thru misunderstandings as far as I recall.
So we are different in Oz. Not better or worse, just different.
We do get US pilots in Oz as well, and usually they have no problems. The military pilots have "Oz cutural training" when they first get here, but they love the flying here (all that big blue sky to play in), and quickly get used to the way we do things.
We do teach the KISS principle, especially with R/T. Make it clear and concise, and don't speak too quickly even if you are busy. It slows you down to say it all over again. And most importantly, get the right readback.
Regards
DP