The problem Neville is that Aviation in Australia is a very small pond. There is effectively only one international airline, Two domestic airlines and that is it.
If you leave an airline, who are you going to work for? CASA, AsA or ATSB and that is it. You will be regulating people you know or who know you. Same as with the RAAF.
The same problem is true for engineers, pilots, cabin crew even accountants.
On that subject I have already commented on the complete lack of any independent forensic aviation accounting expertise in Australia. What independent aviation accountant is going to lower the boom on Qantas or CASA? They would simply find themselves blacklisted in a very small industry.
Likewise the public servants in DOT, do you really want to piss off QANTAS when the Minister is a member of the Chairmans lounge?
Do you really want to piss of CASA who also has the ministers ear, and can blind him with technical bull**** and refute any argument you make at a moments notice?
The pool of talent is too small. Everyone knows everyone. More importantly everyone depends on others for their next job, so nobody will rock the boat.
The only hope is for a "courageous" Minister in the true Sir Humphrey sense, who will take an axe to the institutions, perhaps with the assistance of Professor Alan Fels, and separate regulation from enforcement, eviscerate the office of legal services, require the institutions to promote the industry and generally become part of the solution instead of being the problem.
Sadly, this isn't going to happen. At one time I thought a strike by GA might do it, but I now think, after the attempted crucifiction of James and the resurrection of PelAir, that it will require Three smoking holes and perhaps Three hundred dead before any government will be galvanized into action.
To put it another way, the CASA Leopard is not going to change its spots and all you goddamned uncaught aviation criminals can moan all you like.
Last edited by Sunfish; 2nd Nov 2012 at 01:29.