Australian ATC - at least in the opinion of this one Australian pilot, who spent the first 20 years of his flying career flying mostly within Australia and the second 20 years flying mostly on international routes all over the world (that included frequent trips to Australia) - is the only air traffic system that seems to consider itself the end user and not the aeroplanes it really thinks it 'controls' rather than provides a service to. All too often, their attitude seemed to me to be that the whole system would operate far more to their liking if it wasn't messed up by those annoying aeroplanes that cluttered up their airspace.
Sorry gents and ladies of Australian ATC, but I can assure you, that is how you are perceived by the vast majority of the non-Australian pilots with whom I flew.
Here is the problem. Australian atcs are not atcs. They don't control anything. They hamstrung by 50 million rules created by the smartest guy in the room. Things like 'separation assurance' are not seen any where else in the world. You can not deviate in any way from the rules even if it makes absolutely no sense. You can not use your judgement, you are there to strictly abide by MATS.
Most of the guys working there know no different. They were created by the system.