The answer has to be "for the benefit of the autralian economy"
Not pilots, Cabin crew and Lames, but for the rest of us.
This is the issue. We can protect the jobs of the pilot and Cabin crew, but it is at the expense of the guys who crew the dive boats at Cairns and who print and sell the tourist tee shirts.
The maths says that protecting jobs costs more jobs than those protected.
Furthermore, there is nothing to say that "unprotecting" the Australian market might not unleash a huge demand for Australian Tourism products that will swamp Qantas anyway.
I welcome your thoughts.