This topic of wages versus study versus responsibility versus lawyers versus doctors has been thrashed to death so many times that it's just not worth worrying about anymore. Time to move on isn't it?
But for my two cents - $230,000 a year is simply way too much to pay some slob to poke about Australia in the front of a jet. The job just isn't worth that sort of money. Regardless of how many "split second live saving" decisions that they think they make each year. This is all fantasy stuff, too many war comics in the flight bag methinks.
Besides, if they were making that many life saving decisons then they should be sacked for getting themselves into that situation anyway.
Secondly, argue as you do about the difference between $100 grand and $180 grand a year but the fact is that most of you wouldn't know what to do with that sort of money even if you were earning it so stop getting all heated about it.
Gin.