And remember, a lot of audits are paid for by clients, not operators
Wrong. BARS will be paid for by the Operator and upfront.
What amazes me is that Operators complain about Legislative requirements. However, the same Operator will bend over backwards and are willing to spend big money on these audits with no guarantee of resultant business.
Remember having an audit from a non-CASA organisation is no guarantee that your operation is compliant with Legislative requirements. You could pass an ISO or BARS audit one day and be grounded the next by CASA.