At least it wasn't a no, Shane! May he rest in peace, and rise in glory.
In Australia, then, does one express interest in ordination directly to the diocese and then the process begins from there?
The details vary by diocese, but usually the first step is to approach the person in the diocese who has responsibility for overseeing the selection/formation process (in Melbourne called the Director of Theological Education). If you don't immediately come across as a fruit loop in that first conversation, you're invited to undertake a "year of discernment," during which the diocese has a series of evenings - I think it's seven - where you go to a group discussion with input about some particular aspect of ministry, and in between you meet with a mentor and reflect on what you've heard, and what you've been reading, and how this fits with your sense of vocation.
Towards the end of that year, you can then apply formally for ordination, and at that point you're asked to get references from your vicar, and (from memory, this is a while ago for me now) a church warden, another clergy person who has known you for x years, several other lay people, as well as having a psych evaluation, medical, and all sorts of other things like writing your life story and so on. All of that goes to two people who are designated "examining chaplains" in the diocese, and you go and meet with both of them and they try to assess your sense of vocation and whether you are a plausible candidate for ministry. If they both agree no, the process ends there; if they disagree (one yes and one no) you get sent to a third for a tie-breaker. If they both agree yes, you're invited to a selection conference, which is a day-long event where you have five interviews - on vocation (with the bishop), on personality and relationships (with the person who did the psych evaluation), on spirituality, on leadership, and what they call the "intellectual" interview which is really looking at whether you have the capacity for theological study and, if so, exactly what do you need to do to meet diocesan requirements (with the dean of a theological college). Your spouse or fiance, if you have one, goes with you to the vocation and personality and relationships interviews. And at the end they have what they call a "fish bowl" where the put the five people being interviewed that day into a group and give you a hypothetical problem to discuss, so they can see how you interact in a group.
Then you go home utterly exhausted and wait for a letter with the diocesan crest on the envelope, which either says yes, you're now a candidate, this is what you have to do before we ordain you; or no, we don't think you're suitable, best of luck in your ministry as a lay person; or you might be a good candidate but you're not ready yet, or we're not sure, please think of applying again in a couple of years. The only exception to that that I've known is one woman I was at college with to whom it was suggested that perhaps becoming a nun was her vocation, rather than ordained ministry. But that is extremely rare.
I actually moved parishes during my year of discernment, because the vicar of my original parish didn't support the ordination of women, and I knew he wouldn't recommend me for that reason.
So for me, from the first time I walked into the Director of Theological Education's office, to the time I had a "letter with a hat on it" which said yes, you're now a candidate, was about eighteen months.
