I think the point they are trying to make (poorly) is that as a commercial passenger you used to be able to buy a standby ticket to somewhere and wait all day before being unloaded.
I don't follow how now that the airlines don't utilise this feature any more as a pricing strategy why our 'standby' tickets are now costed as per a full fare ticket though given that we still get bumped.
Given how this Labor government has dealt with boat people, pink batts in ceilings, school halls, fuel watch, grocery watch, defence, immigration, cash spray outs to all and sundry are we really surprised that they chose to go down this road?