It goes hand in hand with the Australian content quota though not to mention the sport doesn't follow A League, Rugby and ODI cricket and lose relevance and income as a result
Right. I'm sure that works so well in sports markets overseas.
I don't think you can't see the forest from the trees on this one. If you want better coverage/commentary on air, then you need to give the networks a spur to do so. Just leaving things in the current regulatory framework won't see much change as there is not much incentive to do so. Go look at how the EPL, NBA and NFL (to name 3 codes) are covered by its respective TV partners (heck the NFL has its rights spread between 3-4 TV networks at least) and they make channel 9 and even Fox Sports look like they are still in the stone age by comparison.
Channel 7 are unlikely to bid for FTA rights whilst they have the AFL, we know Nine will not want to pay more, and who knows what Channel 10 will do? Our FTA networks, generally speaking, bludge on what they do, and do it at the lowest possible cost. I mean why do you think we get so little Australian drama series, but heaps of reality TV shows? Simple, cost. They are a closed shop and do a lot to ensure it remains that way.
As to comparisons with the A-League and Rugby, they were no where near as popular as the NRL nor the AFL for that matter. That's why going behind a paywall hurt them so much as few people
would be willing to pay for a subscription service for them in the first place. ODI cricket is a little different as 20-20 is what has strangled ODI cricket, not a pay wall per se.
When the EPL went from being on the BBC to Sky in the UK, did people stop watching it? No. In fact it drove people to join up to Sky so they could keep watching it. That's why Sky could then afford to pay more money to the EPL.
Also whilst the anti-siphoning means FTA do get "first dibs" on certain events, the Act gives the Minister administering the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 very broad authority regarding listing or de-listing events. But I digress. At the end of the day, this law only exists in Australia and nowhere else in the world. If it is such a roaring success, why in the 30 odd years it has been around, has no one else imitated it?
(Edited to fix up some typos)