On the case of putting the Router into Bridge Mode, if you did this then Telstra Air is not going to be available to users and therefore you are not going to be able to use it out and about. As far as the practicalities of doing this on the new model, I'm not sure if you can.
If you don't need the home phone compatibility with the router, and you don't need Telstra Air, then just go and buy a Router that is VDSL2 compatible and has the features that you want.
I don't know if Static IP is currently available with an NBN connection. Hopefully one of the mods, or someone with that setup can answer the question.