Hello.  I have been doing various practice exams about the place and have come across what may just be an inconsistency but may be something I am missing.  Some questions want me to move weight before I add ballast, some questions do not, unless the question specifically says one way or the other, what does CASA expect?  For example, what is the minimum amount of fuel required in the main tanks as ballast in an ECHO loaded as follows: 1970kg and 475.66 index units, row 1 154kg, row 2 154kg, row 3 160kg and rear compartment 5 x 30kg packages with 5 kg sandbags available?

If I move one package from the rear to the front and then add three sand bags I get well inside the rear limit, but if I don't move the package from the rear I do need ballast fuel even with 40kg of sandbags in the nose locker.  I had not seen the shift-before-you-add method until recently, is this the new thing?