There seem to be two sorts of readers here...those who know who this guy is and those (like me) who have no idea. But the general issue is interesting.
So...without re-igniting too many old fires, can someone tell us where this "fine aviator" was say 14 years ago? Was he flying domestic routes in Australia? Don't rush to bucket me for asking this. It's just that whether some PPruners agree with it or not, there is a view that says that one's aviating worth does not start and finish within the bounds of the cockpit. If a senior management pilot has a certain track record in times of industrial turmoil then that is part of his/her "aviating" worth. To some, a certain attitude may be a plus, to others a minus.
I think that, given the challenges ahead for both "low cost" pilots as well as AIPA pilots, the question is well worth asking.