The AFAP have been and still are the only body that STILL represents a wide section of pilots in the aviation community. Industrial relations have changed significantly in the last 15 years with various governments, leaving the AFAP to deal with industrial issues on different platforms(mostly weak).
Until recently, professional airline pilots outside QF mainline have had nobody else to represent them, why has there been a change? The ONLY reason there is a choice now is because QF mainline is under threat from another group outside of their current members! THEY DIDN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE AND THEY STILL DON'T CARE ABOUT GA, YOU ARE NO THREAT!!
Several years ago I was privileged enough to talk with AIPA seeking assistance in a huge industrial mess within the QF group. They politely listened to our pleas, but it fell upon deaf ears. Please understand that AIPA are protecting their own conditions from deterioration, to do this they need to represent their competition.
I have suffered from the relentless industrial campaign QF has undertaken to lower conditions, the only people who could us were the AFAP. Don't write them off just yet.