The 457 Visa. This will allow foriegn workers to work in Oz as it has done in other industries.
I am genuinely curious as to where this pool of idle pilots overseas is hidding.
HACS, IASCO, PARC & IACglobal seem can't seem to find them judging by the emails and websites offering US$8000 +per diem +pension per month for FO positions.
In case you might might be tempted to think they will come from China, I suspect you may well find the flow going the other way. I recently heard one Oz training organisation was asked by the Chinese if they could train
700 students per year (the couldn't).
Learning to fly is essentially denominated in US$/euro costs (fuel, aircraft, parts, simulators) not local currency. That is, training has a first world cost base no matter where it is undertaken, and hence is prohibitively expensive to all but the very wealthy (why would they?) and those selected, trained and bonded for extended periods to airlines or the military.
You may have also seen, Indian firms are recruiting ozzies in the computer
HERE.
IMHO, I wouldn't worry just yet, Australia & the US are two of the cheapest places to learn to fly. If we are short...