Despite the bureaucratic issues surrounding training etc, there is still an excess of Australian pilots. The issue is, many of them aren’t prepared to work for the pittance that some Australian airlines offer so have taken their expertise to foreign countries.
If regional Australian operators want pilots, they could get them tomorrow.
The cheaper option of course is to start a media scare through the government mouthpiece (The Australian) closely followed by a government seen to be acting by issuing 457 visas.
Ironically, this from a government that believes in a “free market”.
Obviously “free” only for big business and virtual slavery for workers.