They do love their vectors in Sydney. We often get direct SOSIJ for 34L but then, instead of just letting us use LNAV to do the turn nicely on to final, they give us an intercept heading a couple of miles from SOSIJ resulting in twice as much button pushing. I understand that this can be more efficient when it's busy, but they do it at 2am when there's not another aircraft within 100NM.

Melbourne too is getting new STARS and waypoints. You will be fast tracked via FOURR FIFFE SEVEN VISAS!

One point that has not been mentioned is that the aerodrome is allowed 80 movements per rolling hour, So the hour starts at 00, 15, 30 and 45. If the cap is broken it is a bit more than a please explain.. In some modes it would be quite easy to do. It is all artificial and political claptrack, but may explain some of the unexplained vectoring. The Shift Manger relies heavily on the arrival list and the times they predict. It's also one of the reason why on occasions there is nothing on final and you are sitting there like a xxxxxxx. Come the next 15 minutes things start to move again but you may only have a few lots to be divided up between the 2 runways. The cap does not give a rats about your CTOT or any other time requirement.

Have a running total of 3 x 15 minute blocks - take this figure away from 78 and this leaves the number for the 4th quarter hour. Count the expected number of arrivals and then this leaves the number of departures. So 78 - (22 + 19 + 17) = 20, If there were 12 expected arrivals for the 4th quarter hour then 8 departures would be permitted. Doesn't include State or Hospital (or Medevac flights) but does include helicopters landing or taking off from a runway.

what If you had 85 movements? Who would notice and how would it be enforced.

AIrservices monitors it and reports quarterly: Movement cap reports | Airservices

One bust since 2011: http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/...0724152110.pdf

Not really possible given the traffic and the procedures that are in play. Breaches would be reported and I guess more punitive traffic restrictions would be applied.
Priority flights (VIP, MED, SAR, FFR) and helicopters landing at or departing from heliport are excluded.

Thread drift.

From what I understand there is a non ATC person who monitors the cap and lets... somebody know.. what the numbers are. Not sure of the penalties but it's a legal thing so no discretion on ATC part to breach 80. All hearsay as I don't work in SY tower but know a few blokes that do.

In peak times when the cap is close to being breached it ads complexity to SMC, ADC and room Supervision lessens and to what gain? If you find yourself in prison and are going to flogged 1000 times in a day but only 80 in anyone hour you are still going to get 1000 floggings. You'd be surprised in the mornings how often departures are restricted because of this crap. sorry cap.