From reading the documentation it sounds like this CVD issue has arisen from NZ medical and/or administrative processes. Since this "poohshan" fella has migrated (most latterly) from NZ it would not be unreasonable to wonder if the concept caught a ride in with him, possibly to be imported as his own personal cause celebre.
Everyone brings a personal style and a cultural background to a job and having done some time overseas and worked with various cultures, it is a fact that not all work cultures are as easy to deal with as the next. Some are downright difficult, underhanded, obnoxious, lacking in transparency and mired in conflict and confrontation.
Officiousness for the sake of officiousness, bullheaded adherence to poorly-thought out policies, defensive posture in a minority position combined with lofty arrogance from a perception of having been headhunted... I shudder to think what this guy must be like to deal with. Was there not a single DAME in the whole of Australia who could've adequately filled the role of CASA PMO?
It is disgraceful that the affected licence and AOC holders were not advised of this career and company-altering CVD fiasco by the CASA PMO himself. Having slyly hand-balled the ugly baby to Peter Fereday who is left with putting his name to the letters, it would appear the entire issue has exploded in "poohshan"s face. Maybe he didn't expect the backlash and has tried, predictably, to distance himself from the sorry affair. This is unacceptable; the PMO needs to own up to the shambles he has created and deal with it himself.
These gov't post-holders are answerable to the public. When this is over and the CVD issue has been rightly buried, poohshan, having dragged licence and AOC holders alike (not to mention the CASA itself) through this idiocy, should find himself looking for a new job. The handling of this issue has been unacceptably poor and the current PMO cannot be allowed to continue in the role after over-seeing such an adverse impact on so many fee-paying end-users.
This affair is disgraceful and shameful - I am actually embarrassed to be associated, as an Australian licence holder, with the designated "authority" which is so ignorantly trashing the Australian aviation industry. What pilots and operators have to deal with in this country is beyond the pale and sets up the country as a laughing stock when compared to first world aviation environments. This is the sort of bureaucratic stupidity I've seen persisting in third world aviation regions and now it is a reality in Australia too.
Good work, Sunfish, keeping the topic alive here. I had not heard about it until reading your thread. Although it doesn't affect me directly, please post links to any petitions, online protest logs, or other ways of registering disgust at this situation and its handling; I will be more than happy to put my name to it.