Not sure if you will get too many responses, based on previous threads most guys are a bit hesitant to post those sort figures on such a public forum. The 500K seems a bit high, but who knows.
Whatever the real numbers are, you have to give it to Qantas/Jetstar for the way that they have got the info out there - true or not. Joe Public would read that sort of article and say - wow $180K that's pretty good coin, $280K for doing the same job, jeez those guys have got it good. Like it or not it is the world we live in, aviation is not what it once was.
At the end of the day $180K, $280K or $500K is a whole lot more than the average Aussie earns.