Are you blokes living in fairyland?? Let's go back a bit, and look at what happened.
Australia had a disguised monopoly, with one govt airline, and another one, called Ansett, which was allowed to exist. The two airlines ran the same aeroplanes, along the same routes, at the same times, and charged the same fares.
1. Australia and N.Z. signed an "Open Skies agreement"
2. There was no available terminal space and slots were about the same in Australia, so ANZ did not get started in Aust.
3. So ANZ bought the very sick Ansett Airlines, and so got the termnal space and slots in Aust.
4. Mick Toller,the head of CASA, in a speech to the national press club, said that CASA must have been doing things right, because an internationl body had asessed that Ansett was the second best (safest?)airline in the world, and Qantas was third. (a Canadian airline was first)
5. ANZ was talkig to Singapore Airlines about a possible deal, and an injection of capital. Ansett had 747's and were operating on international routes, and planning to expand. John Anderson told mick Toller to"be fearless in your dealings with Ansett"
6. casa grounded all of Ansetts 767 fleet "because they were dangerous". Photos of cracks in the aircraft, which had been given to casa were "leaked" to the press and did enormous damage to the airline. Of course they went broke.
7. A knight in shining armour, came to Australia. He did not talk to CASA, but went straight to the PM first, and then set up an airline.
And guess what is happening today.
Singapore Airlines is trying to get to run international flights from Australia, and the Australian Govt are preventing that.
Yea verily, we live in the land of the underarm bowlers.