Chinup - You do get paid for being on standby.. In the contract you get paid a minimum monthly base rate which is for a minimum number of hours per month guarenteed. Should you fly over the minimum monthly guarenteed rate then a higher rate of pay or form of so called overtime comes into play. However, if you fly no hours per month, 10 hours per month or the capped monthly minimum you get paid the same base rate. Therefore, yes for being on standby or not flying at all you will still receive a wage at the end of the month.
Have checked with a friend of mine who is a mangement team leader for inflight with QF and she had a nice chuckle when I explained your theory about the 3 stage or tier hiring. No such animal exists and only those choosen for the 3 month contracts or those choosen but declined the contract will be kept on a shortlist for any future permenant positions. Those not contacted have not been placed on any list other than the rejection list and will not be contacted but will have to reapply after 12 months via staffcv once again. In any case, the chances of those now being put on the shortlist for QF are slim to none of being called to fill full time positions. She has stated that although not in agreement with the companys plans, the LHR base will go ahead come hell or high water and no future positions full time positions are foreseen for quite a few years on the long haul side. Short haul is another story.
Suggest you don't believe everything you hear. Exactly how rumors get started that are in fact only vivid immaginations in someones head.