Are Victorians different??
Do you blokes actually think that the RFDS in outback Australia finances it's services with money from donations and bequests only?????
It doesn't! Governments pay a per mile charge just the same as anywhere else. With that and the donations and bequests they have more money than other operators, and can afford better equipment. And the governments are not paying as much as they should for those services. The public is subsidising services that government should be paying a proper price for.
The end result is that no other operator can compete without that second cash flow.
Apart from this incorrect business arrangement, I have great respect for the RFDS operation. I flew their aircraft for over a decade, and some very good freinds of mine are now flying RFDS aircraft. I also live in an area where I may one day require their services.
But with the RFDS, Missionaries, and Aboriginal organisations, to compete with, I am not surprised that the rest of GA is impoverished.