No incentive for CASA to reform for GA growth
As Leadsled says the 'mystique of aviation safety' is alive and well used as a deterrent against change.
However into the pot of ill fate, the poisonous mix for GA, is the fact of the failed government experiment of the 'independent government business enterprise' introduced in the eighties in order to apply 'user pays', and to separate Ministers from their responsibilities or opprobrium. It was never explained how user pays would work. Of course now we know that the monopoly GBE sets whatever fees it can get away with and worse it invents procedures for which fees must be applied. Hence the very idea of independent instructors working without an AOC has no traction.
GBEs taking over from direct Ministerial control will never be even slightly like a business being run by public servants (masters?) with every incentive to maintain and increase their influence. GBEs are monopolies and almost totally impervious to customer satisfaction, competition (there is none) and any efficiencies will only lead to job cuts. Job cuts lead to less influence, lower pay scales and loss of standing in Canberra, city of heirachy and great prizes for the top jobs, eg CASA CEO around half a million pa. Incredibly the joke is also on the taxpayer who pays more than the DCA needed, even with CASA 'user pays' fees.
It is clear that to expect reform from CASA is like expecting water to run uphill. A very strong board, with not less than job suicidal tendency and great determination might make some growth policies stick, but it is only Parliament with change to the Act that can revive the sickening body of GA.
We used to live in a (relatively) free country, wasn't too bad so we let things slip, did not question 'privileges', aviation medicals and log book keeping for PPL, all special ways for us elite flyers. The expensive AOC nightmare replaced a simple no cost charter and training licence, criminal offenses were enacted and huge penalties added even for the most minor transgressions.