Emu,
A good deal of my day is spent in direct contact with senior DOTARS and airline security staff discussing these and other security matters and the inherent problems they create .
Does an ASIC make aviation any safer? Probably not. But it does provide a system whereby anyone who gets their hands on an Australian registered aircraft as PIC to fly to a security controlled airport has been suitablly checked. It is on that basis then that we can perhaps argue more convincingly to remove the requirements for making pilots go through the ludicrous screening process at airports. You can't have it both ways... no screening and no ASIC. I reckon if you asked the majority, they would tell you they would much rather have the little plastic card on a lanyard around their neck as opposed to continually emptying their pockets, taking their belts and shoes off and going through metal detectors.
As much as it frustrates, ranting and raving on PPRUNE will have as much effect of changing the rules as p1ssing yourself in a wetsuit. You will get a short term warm sensation but no one will probably notice. We can maybe argue about the price but as AUSCHECK have just been through a very thorough process of full disclosure of costs to implement the program, I don't think you are going to see much movement there either. A fairer system surely would be to maybe make it a 5 year life as for the MSIC.
Not that it's really relevant to this topic but yes I do in fact pay for my own ASIC.