Let's move off the carrier debate. People are taking the piss. Snot predicably and oldm8, you should be ashamed of yourself discouraging public enthusiasm for a well equiped defence force. Plenty of RAAF pilots have been killed on active service over the generations, in unsuitable or unsuitably equiped aircraft- Vietnam, Korea etc.
The F22 has serious political and military ramifications for the region; and I imagine that is part of the reason why a small, silver bullet force is not being entertained. Remembering we were politically averse to providing our own tanking support for the F111 fleet, aswell as ruling out cruise missile technology in the 90's to avoid regional proliferation of these weapons.
A RAAF equiped with F22's, say original F111 numbers ( 24 ), and another multi-role type ( F18's, JSF or whatever ), would make the regional air forces forever obsolete. They would label Australia, America's deputy sherrif now with a big six shooter, and invest in asymetric capabilities no air campaign can ever defeat.