quackers
I had AL on my Jumpseat not long ago and the SO I was with asked her about DEFO basings. She said if you have the experience you can apply. I must admit to not being 100% cognizant of the issues as I tend to ignore all basings NTCs being so happy living in HKG. But the impression I got from Andrea is that anyone can apply if suitable(ie hrs/experience).
chase it up...if you have a grievance contact the AOA GC...or if you aren't an AOA member, post your grievance somewhere on PPRUNE where it will be ignored;-)