Charliethewonderdog,
You seem to be saying that Auswest Airlines couldn't get pilots because there is a pilot shortage. Have you considered the possibility that their offering wasn't good enough to attract the pilots?
You mentioned some of the terms and conditions. Please give all the T&Cs (as best you can) so that we can make a valued judgement as to whether the job was "worth it". Please also state the experience levels that were required.
If I remember correctly, 500 hours multi was one of the experience requirements. Is it also true that the pilots would have had to spend some time living at the mine sites (e.g Pannawonica, Yandicoogina)? And that they would be in the right hand seat for much of the flying?
It still sounds to me like it was the underlying economics that killed the operation, which after all, is the most common reason for any business venture to fail.
Sure, Rio Tinto was prepared to pay enough to enable a 62.5k package but was that enough? Were they prepared to go higher or was that the limit they considered for an operation using Barons and Navajos?