I went flying last Sunday at YMMB for the first time in a long while. It was coincidently a very beautiful VMC day and the place was freakingly devoid of the usual fair-weather flyers on days like that. I was expecting to squeeze myself into a fully packed circuit as it used to be in days gone by, but no, I could have done it with my eyes closed. Sign of the times.
Although I never bothered with one, I feel the IFR rating should be mandatory as they are a learned skill just like short field landings.
I could have gotten one, but with all that bureaucracy involved, I chose to investigate unusual attitudes with aerobatic craft instead.
This reminds me a bit of the mandatory TAC fee here in Victoria which is $422 added on top of the normal car registration fee. That money could buy you 4 new tyres or a service to improve your vehicle safety, but instead it's used to create a refugee camp for marketers and over servicing doctors... sound familiar.