Slug... as sad as it is and with the best of intentions... Oz ATC still cling to what they have worked for years... because they have never worked anything else.
Sleep research on night shifts demonstrated that full recovery from a night shift does not occur until after four days have lapsed since cessation of duty on the night shift.
The roster I now work has me finishing the second night shift (the last shift in my rostered six shifts-in-a-row) at 7AM and I return for duty exactly four days later at 7AM. The first two days off are a bit of a hangover (no pun intended), but the third and fourth day are fine.
Six shifts worked every ten calendar days. Never called in on my days off (one of the six shifts, once a month, is a Grey Evening). The shortest break between shifts is 16 hours (three times a week) and the longest break between shifts is 24 hours (twice a week).
I'm rostered to work two night shifts every ten days... and night shifts are hard no matter how you roster them... yet this roster is a lot easier to work than the Australian roster and you have plenty of time off between shifts for your daily routine and to relax.
Depending on how I work my annual recreation leave, I can easily achieve the maximum of 16... yes 16 calendar weeks off work (if taken in fortnightly blocks). Which results in a total of 50 night shifts rostered in a year (not including Grey Evening call-outs... of which I've had to attend for one in the last twelve months).
Oh, and did I mention... we're short of staff. I've changed lines once on the roster in twelve months and I was given two extra days off as compensation.
If Civilair cannot negotiate a roster that doesn't get manipulated and a leave entitlement close to what we enjoy here and in other parts of the ATC world, then something is seriously wrong.
FAID is a fools game played by ALM's who think that it will protect them legally when a tired controller bangs two together... it will not.
A retired member of the legal fraternity in Australia told me not so long ago that the findings in Court in Switzerland following the collision over German airspace would be considered by an Australian Judge in determining individual and collective criminal liability following a collision in Australia. Australian ATC ALM's should look very closely at the findings... very very closely... because FAID will not protect you.