Virgin are after a $1.4B bailout to save the jobs of 10,000 employees.
The Australian government would be far better off giving each of the 10,000 employees $140,000. At least they could use the money to get on with their lives, find other work, or move to another industry. It would certainly give each of them time to make some important decisions.
Or they could give Virgin $1.4B in an attempt to save those jobs. Think Australian Auto Manufacturing industry. How much money was thrown at propping up that industry which eventually failed anyway? Money wasted. The same would happen with Virgin, it would just delay the outcome. It would make Richard Branson and his Chinese/Singaporean/Middle East mates happy, but achieve nothing except giving these shareholders a problem to solve. That being how would they get their grubby hands on the Australian taxpayers money before Virgin Australia eventually went under.