We've chatted over the years of our difference of opinion on the Armidales but i loved serving on them, especially when I started on FFG with 60 man mess and ended with 2 man cabins
The advantage ABF Marine unit have for getting ex-RAN personal is that its fifo from any capital city. Instead of living in Darwin, you can live in Melbourne where you have a better lifestyle and family options for school and work. ADF would never implement something similar even though it could have worked when Armidales had crew swaps. I did enjoy Darwin but given the option of my 4 weeks off living elsewhere, id have taken it.
The current Junior Warfare Officers program has been set for generations and teaches Middies how to understand Command on a scale Majors cannot match. Phase 2 and 4 was(I might be out of date for this) was Major units posting. You did initial phase for 6mths ob Major to learn roles and responsibilities, plus Assistant Officer of Watch for Nav, DC, Briefings etc. It gave early experience. Phase 3 was Minor War Vessel Nav theory followed by 6mths Prac on Armidales or Huons. This allowed practical training and most trainees to experience watches on their own after certification. Running a small team, making navigation decisions and leadership. This was a huge task for someone at 22yrs to do and built confidence. It also identified those not ready and needing more time to learn. They were also exposed to Op Resolute/Sovering Borders and boardings.
This would be difficult on Majors as at that time, we were rotating ships in Middle East. Phase 4 officers could receive their OOW Tickets while on deployment where they were exposed to alot of navigation and operational pressures following much supervision. If they didnt do the phase 3 part, it would have been more of a drain on an operational ship and its officers having to spend more time teaching/supervising. This would also put further strain on the fleet for time at sea teaching.
When you compare this to the US, its a very different beast. You can watch on youtube midshipman selecting their postings according to ratings. Its fascinating to watch but my understanding is they can spend years on that ship or just that type, DDG, Amphib, Carrier etc. In RAN, the officers need exposure to different types as they may end up NAV, PWO, XO or CO on different class of ships. Having seen a Nav posted at short notice to a class they didnt have alot of exposure to and cause damage during berthing, i can see the need for cross-platform training instead of single hull type. (Of note, was FFH and they'd been FFG/LPA trained, following Long N posted to us at short notice, really miss that bollard that was ripped off the Qtr Deck
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Our current training program attempts such a thing, changing it out would have long term implications.