Dick, the airspace around Canberra does go to Melbourne Centre when the tower and approach close up. The classification below A090 changes to class G though. I know what you're going to to say, it should be E to the deck almost. Now, that's all very well, however the controller who looks after Canberra at night also looks after most of SE Australia. I counted the number of instrument approaches to the main aerodromes in that area one day - over 70 - and that was before they took over the YAS and JVS sectors too. So add another 20 or 30 there. I don't believe ATC could provide a class E service with the current airspace divisions and ATC numbers. Too much airspace to carefully monitor all approaches.
Now, the Canberra incident was a number of holes in the Swiss cheese, not the fault of TAAAAAAAAAAAATS terrain monitoring, which I think you are getting at. The airspace, terrain and instrument approaches are very complex. The main reason the GPWS went off is the crew elected to hold at CCK at A050, which has a DME limit on it. I think what you want to see is ATC monitoring tracking with respect to terrain. In this case, the GPWS and the MSAW on TAAAAAAAATS would have gone off at around the same time. The hills rise rapidly. Now, if the crew had held at A060, there is no DME limit, just a speed limit for a 1 minute pattern. A better decision by far, but only intimate knowledge of each and every instrument plate by an ATC would have been able to pick the 'error' up.
We need more ATCers right now to maintain the level of service we are expected to provide. Increasing the amount of CTA without increasing our numbers will result in very poor levels of service, very busy ATCers and more than likely very busy AsA admin staff processing resignations (more than now).
Dick, if you really want to help, aim your efforts that you seem to be directing towards airspace reform into ATC recruitment & retention. If our numbers are right, then we can look at airspace reform. That's the basic idea.
Cheers,
NFR.
PS Seem you invite us to go flying with you, I'd like to ask you to come in plug in with me for a while. PM me if you are interested.