Dick and all,
There is no general requirement for an Australian license holder, only flying in Australia, to have the ICAO Level 5 or 6 endorsed on a license.
The $150.00 try-on ( some are $250 and up) for a review is a ruse I have come across several times now, comes in the category of "a nice little earner", in the same category as schools who will not to a review unless you fly a 3-5 hours "refresher" with them. See the link below for how bleeding complicated CASA has managed to make it --- surprise.
To further complicate the issue, the whole ICAO program is to ensure that all pilots on international operations, and whose first language is not English, will have an adequate standard of aviation English. It seems CASA has turned that on its head, there is a CD around that has examples of other language speakers speaking heavily regionally accented "English" and you are being tested on your ability to understand what is NOT ICAO aviation English, NOT the ICAO requirement to speak Level 5/6 aviation English.
Re. the problem with FAA licenses, FAA declared by regulation that all FAA licenses comply with ICAO Level 6 English language requirements, on the basis of the required FAA/ICAO level of English must have been achieved, because they have an FAA PPL or up.
That is not good enough for CASA, who insist that an individual license must be endorsed ICAO Level 5 or 6. FAA have no such mechanism for such as an "endorsement", as it is automatically part of your FAA license.
Despite our some 1400 plus notified ICAO differences (non-compliances), isn't it amazing, the CASA zeal for absolute compliance when there is the opportunity to add cost, complexity and inconvenience.
Nothing like encouraging visiting Yank pilots to do a bit flying on a VH- aircraft. With the paperwork CASA now requires to validate a FAA license, plus the ASIC nonsense and now this latest, it is no wonder the number of American pilot visitors spending $$$ here is as good as nil.
See also:
https://www.casa.gov.au/licences-and...anges-october/
Tootle pip!!