The only reason that companies charge for training is because they can. If every pilot in the country blacklisted, for example, QantasLink then they would have to change their arrangements. Since they probably have hundreds of suitably qulaifield applicants for very few positions I would suggest that pay for training will remain.
One thing I did notice in the Four Corners Doco was the comments about the very inexperienced copilots and how this was legal. The Transair director response was that major airlines have copilots with LESS experience than the guy that crashed at Lochart River. Maybe CASA can help us out here by upping the experience requirements for copilots and getting rid of cadets and low time pilots buying their way through the industry.