You might consider that the reason staff don't realize you can tap is that nobody uses it, because you can just swipe without a PIN for small purchases. I am not saying this is superior, just observing an example of how even changing consumer behavior is difficult when the value add is minor.
No in this case it's because they don't present the reader to you - they punch in the sale, then ask you to hand them the card and swipe it.
Also in Australia I've not seen swipe without PIN used very much - a swipe usually requires a pin, whereas tap does not (and is also a lot faster).
Australia has different rules. In the US at least, the PIN is not required for small purchases.
It's interesting you mention Australia because they've taken a different approach to the fee issue. They regulated it away. Cards cost merchants very little. Didn't need bitcoin to do it, just passed a law.
Also interesting: it did not result in a lowering of consumer prices. The merchants kept the windfall.
Pretty much all my local merchants have machines that accept NFC payment taps - to the extent that the Commonwealth Bank has an app for the Galaxy S4 which will emulate a debit card tap and be accepted by any machine.
The only time I end up keying a pin or signing is usually when the staff themselves don't realize that I can just tap my card (the machines have big NFC icons on them, but they don't offer the machine to me to tap).