The beauty of competition is that people can vote with their feet. So if the "Protect Qantas" brigade are right...and they could be, what a great show of affection for this Australian icon if the passengers simply didn't fly with SIA and put the money in QF's pockets instead. Wouldn't the customers listen to the same "Australia First" arguments posted here? And if they wouldn't, being dollar hungry or wanting better service....on what basis do our leaders say 'you can't have that choice" when in almost every other area of life they have choices bewtween imports and home grown products.
In any case, assuming Qantas is serving the route(s) properly there's no need for another single seat so SIA would be whistling in the wind. And QF are lean and mean aren't they? What's to fear?
Protection, under the mask of patriotism is a mean cruel and nasty job destroying tool of populist and weak leaders. We are an exporting nation and our best undustry groups do it well. Sooner or later Qantas will be ready to compete the way Penfolds, Fosters and a thousand other groups do. When they can those shares could really be worth someting. Til then...would I invest in a sheltered workshop that effectively taxes every travelling Australian? I don't think so.