Thanks topdrop, your post #767 confirms my understanding of Airservices' responsibilities with respect to the distribution of operational information to aircraft in flight. However, given this incident, Airservices may need to review its distribution procedures in the event of an unplanned automatic broadcast service failure (e.g. MIA AWIS).
So, given the above and assuming no technical facility or equipment failures, it would appear that the responsibility for updating the flight crew of YIR on the changed meteorological conditions at YPAD, after YIR had already departed from YBBN, lies squarely with Virgin; either with the airline operations controllers or the flight crew themselves.
If the responsibility lies with the airline operations controllers, then what facilities do they have to communicate data to their flight crews whilst they are in-flight; or are the flight crew expected to use their own initiative to receive updates through AERIS and/or specific Flightwatch request once they have flight planned and departed?
My reason for focusing on this particular aspect is because I seem to recall (I could be wrong with my facts here) that a similar incident occurred with a Virgin flight bound for Cairns (with marginal weather) some years ago where the flight crew was caught out when the Cairns ILS unexpectedly failed whilst they were in flight, and they weren't notified until they received the Cairns ATIS and were also faced with limited ALTN options due to their critical fuel state.
When the ATC operational control function was disbanded some years ago (1985?) somebody (CAA/BASI?) undertook a review of the capability of Australia's domestic airlines to assume the operational control function from ATC prior to the function being disbanded. My recollection was that one of the key findings of this review noted that the domestic airlines were not well positioned to assume this function at the the time for a number of reasons. It would be most interesting if this report could be located and compared to today's current practice. If the major airlines are not up to speed on operational control, considering the level of resources available to them, then what is the situation with Australia's regional and smaller airlines?
If all my recollections are correct, then clearly there is a need for ATSB/CASA to undertake another review of the effectiveness of airline operations control functions exercised by Australia's airlines considering the abolition of ATC Operational Control and the FIS delivery functions once provided by the Flight Service Units located at regional aerodromes (like the Mildura FSU). If such a review is not undertaken in the near future, I fear it will only be a matter of time before something goes horribly wrong and everyone will be running around saying:
IT WASN'T MY FAULT !
.