Yes I have a lot of experience with an MPL program abroad as well. The sell-out aviators used the old 22 year old in an F35 example, for a program that would eventually be picked to death by budgetary constraints and commercial rewards for pilots in supervisory roles who cut the training back further. There was no 22 year old F35 pilot produced- in the end there were pilots put on the line who had never done a visual approach or hand-flown a raw data ILS. But hang on, pilots don’t need these skill sets? Well the regulator deemed they did but the end training product looked nothing like what IATA guidelines suggested or the regulator demanded.
I scoff at too-cool, contrarian aviators above banging on about market forces. I made enough money thanks to aviation to retire before 50. This due to true market forces. I don’t see market forces at play in Australia. I don’t understand the industrial landscape enough to make qualified comment, however, it looks slewed toward corporations. The only way to play market forces in this country would be to universally discourage people entering the industry.
On uniforms, when I left Australia, Virgin pilots were dressed like GA piston pilots from up North, were paid a fraction of the incumbents and paid for their training ( which was low cost standard by accounts ) We’ve done the uniform argument to death on Dunnunda. Market forces? The established airlines had comprehensive and expensive training programs and our regulator approved some underdone training processes. The Dawn of the Low Cost Pilot.