Association of professional Football Clubs Australia -Statement on Pro/Rel
It is also the shared view of the APFCA membership that a fully-expanded League model must be achieved and sustained before the introduction of promotion and relegation can be considered.
For promotion and relegation to be achieved it is imperative that a second-tier of Australian football is established and evolved in order to create appropriate football and economic proximity between the two tiers. Only in this way can the second-tier produce promoted clubs with the capacity to compete in the A-League and at the same time receive relegated A-League Clubs without catastrophic economic impact for the relegated club. The investment and time horizon for achieving a second-tier of this calibre should not be underestimated. APFCA is committed to playing its part.
So basically a 2nd division/A2 league may be up & going within a few seasons.
However it maybe several seasons after that, before introducing pro/rel is considered, ie the 2nd division would need to prove itself as a commercial viable model first.
Makes some sense.
Look at it this way: USA and Canada can't do it with a combined population of 370 mil. Aussie and NZ with 24, no chance.