it's about political safety for politicians - they must not and cannot be held responsible for the inevitable major accident. CASA protects them because the regulations have criminalized almost every possible cause of an accident - so there is always someone to take the blame - either pilot, operator, maintainer or ATC. It could be argued that the new fuel rules are a response not to the norfolk island accident but the inability to charge the pilot under the. rules then in force. This slip up has now been rectified.