The trouble is most simulator flying is taken up on just about everything else but raw data navigation and/or hand flying with no automatics. Even the autothrottle is left engaged. Accent in the simulator is on labour intensive LOFT or whatever is the latest fancy name, and instrument rating renewals are nothing more than full automation. Not much skill needed there.
Centaurus, that might be representative in OZ, but its not the case in JAR Ops land.
Everything other than a non-precision approach must be hand flown, raw data, FD's off.
There is a component of showing competency with the automatics ala SOP adherence, but the vast majority of jeopardy items are hand flown in manual thrust.
(the same in the 2 airlines I've worked for)