What is needed is a set of cost and efficiency benchmarks between CASA, and Canada, New Zealand, US FAA, European union and possibly other countries for their air regulator, ATSB and Airservices equivalent.
The numbers that need to be calculated include off the top of my head:
Regulatory cost per aircraft.
Regulatory cost per:
- Aircraft hour flown
- Miles flown.
- per flight.
- per passenger km.
Representative aircraft operating costs per hour, preferably broken down by cost category
These need to be calculated per year, per decade, Also in long term moving averages.
The data needs to be referenced as to source.
Then there needs to be some discussion of the comparisons and results.
If Australia shows up well as an efficient regulator - well, you have just lost your argument about how bad the Australian system really is.
How do costs compare? That should tell you who is screwing who. We can then delve into how and why they are screwing you..
If, perchance, as some of you suspect, the data shows that CASA, ATSB, etc are bloated non performers, be prepared to discuss the following statement:
"We aren't really bloated, it's just that Australia is different".
"The data is wrong".
"Our costs include stuff that others don't".
"But we've already changed, your data is too old".
"It's not our fault, the Government made us do it this way".
I first did part of one of these for Econometrician Robin Hocking who was instrumental in destroying the Two airline domestic policy.
At Coopers and Lybrand I did this for Telecom (Telstras predecessor) that conclusively demonstrated how bloated that institution had become. The Board didn't like that result, unfortunately for me.
With a little bit of luck, ICAO will have done all the data collection for you, the International Telecommunication Union certainly had it by country when I "did" Telecom.
Unless and until you can produce these facts and a cogent argument for change, and the money it will save, you are wasting your time.