This is my first post, so go easy, as I only have a theory...not rumour.
Since QF are chasing dominance of the Australian market, this could be a possibility-I don't know.
Since "Mac air" is an alliance partner with Qantas for it's western network would it make sense that Mac air would take on the old Flight West machines and deploy them on their network. When you think about it, Mac air currently do the fly in, fly out ops in Nth West Qld. They have an RPT service operating also. They have the agents already and advertising in place throughout the states regional towns. They could operate an F100 out to a couple of the mines on crew change overs, and possibly on BNE-ISA and TSV-ISA RPT services, to relieve the QF LINK BAe 146's to other services.
The Qld government are bank rolling a Flight West F28 currently on the couple of mine runs it used to have the contract for. That wont last for too much longer.
Qantas would have the whole of Qld stitched up pretty well much if this happened.
As I said, it's just a suggestion to put in peoples mind's, and I have no idea if this is a realistic possibility.