Your words ring true Shirtless! There is more to this than just 2 pilot IFR....could it be that by being licensed that the crewies are now subject to the same legal rules and regulations as are pilots? Same scrutiny by CASA with flight and duty times, etc....
Maybe this is the only way to get the recognition that the crewies deserve and will surely upset private contrators and NGO's! The QLD gov't should be applauded for taking on this financial risk...which is more than you can say for their counterparts down South!