The action you refer to did not involve QANTAS, it involved the two major domestic airlines. A wide ranging industrial dispute resulted in a 'lock out' of Ansett and Australian Airlines pilots. The companies had placed recruitment ads in the major aviation mags, and in those primitive pre-internet days, the AFAP (union) had to respond with the ads you refer to, as many foreign pilots thought that they were legitimate recruitment ads.
Many Aussies who did not cross the line went overseas to take legitimate positions, with various degrees of success (many to Cathay Pacific). Others never flew again, and there were marriage breakups and financial distress. Enjoy your schadenfreude, even though you have dredged up an event involving a previous generation of pilots that happened almost thirty years ago. You must be easily amused.
For the rest of us, the current situation is like that of the regionals in the US, the bottom-feeding Australian regional airlines are not paying the $$ to attract quality, qualified crew. They are fishing to sucker in any desperadoes from overseas who would accept their conditions. There are also systemic problems with the decreasing volume of flight training in Australia which, inter alia, include a dreadful regulator, high costs, lack of motivation of young people to fly, ridiculous security requirements and ancient, clapped out training aircraft.
Cheetah's cavorting aside, this is more indicative of a global problem for airline managements, and Cathay Pacific may wish to take note.
Last edited by Captain Dart; 29th Dec 2017 at 20:31.