Cut to the chase
Grumpy and
virgindriver stop flirting on the edges. We want examples and war stories dammit!
It has nothing to do with their leadership
Betcha it DOES (its allright, the supervisor will 'save you' even tho you are a bumbling grommet), and THEIR leadership (ATC - 44Wing) is in Williamtown NOT Canberra.
An App controller with 15+ years continuously talking to aircraft (sectors, outstation towers, Enroute all adds up) in the civil world is the norm. In most TCUs there are those with 15+ in THAT TCU. No-one, I repeat NO-ONE in the RAAF has that time up (OK I know 2) of 15 years continuously 'talking' to aircraft (say 12,000 hours of airtime, (15000 - 3000 hours of talking footy)). RAAFwise, its a quick 2 -3 years in each of 3 - 4 locales, some deployments on a medal hunt (mostly flights service "traffic is" but occasionally separation).
...and then try to pick up the extra half stripe to be a senior officer and run the show at the units. The object of RAAF ATCers is to be headset off and kow towing to Williamtown within 12 years of going to your unit.
PS I learned my trade in blue and have in excess of 15,000 hours of TCU 'time'. I keep a record. You can't expect to be half decent at the job and then tell others how to do it if you haven't the time up (the maydays, Pans, VFR in IMC, yada yada, put a B1900 in a 9 mile 'hole' maintaining 200kias whilst talking footy etc)