You're forgetting to mention that Hedland is not exactly a town where you could survive on casual wages. In reality you'd struggle to survive on a full time Golden Eagle wage!
These guys receive alot of money from mining companies and the government for their charters so it should be right that the pilots receive full time salary.
I would hazard a guess that Golden Eagle pilots would be some of the cheapest labour in Port Hedland. I wouldn't see to many people in Hedland earning somewhere in the forties a year INCLUDING house allowance.