Jetscabster
Most informed observers of the Oz aviation industry would agree with you in that it was essential for Qantas to start a LCC to fill a gap in the market that other operators could quickly fill - it certainly would have been easier for Tiger (& DJ would have greater market share) if Jetstar had not been established.
The main issue here is Pilot remuneration and Ts & Cs which is a separate issue as was very well stated by fearcampaign in his post. Fellow pilots understood that the Impulse pilots were forced to sign the first Jetstar agreement but the second agreement (widebody variation) involved no gun being held to the heads of Jetstar pilots. They voted in an award that very few of them were prepared to accept (& most of the guys now flying under that award really hate the conditions). This recent EBA was the Jetstar pilots chance to get decent remuneration as well as improved Ts & Cs (and to redeem themselves after the poor widebody decision) during a period of industrial strength and with the support of the rest of the Qantas Group pilots.
Sadly, they succumbed to Oldmeadow tactics:- 1. Fear - the (empty)threat of 457 visa DECs, 2. Short Term Greed - the temptation of extra money in the pay packet right now rather than significantly higher long term remuneration and 3. Shaft the New Hires - sell an EBA to existing staff by saying that their pay rise will be funded by paying any new hires less (makes for cohesion on the flight deck - NOT). This tactic was also used in the Mainline Short Haul EBA (all new Captains) and the Mainline Long Haul Flight Attendants where they signed off on paying all new hires 1/3 less to work 1/3 more hours (something that I believe will eventually cause the demise of the FAAA).
All the Jetstar pilots that I have had a chance to talk to (<10) all strongly opposed this EBA and one even said that he would be looking for other employment if it got up.
I've previously stated that it is in the interest of all the F/Os at Jetstar to get the salary package as high as possible in order to attract new pilots and thus free F/Os for command training. If there are few pilots joining then Jetstar's expansion will be severely limited and thus time to command will increase.
There was so many reasons why it should have been rejected and thus enable stronger negotiators a chance to gain appropriate remuneration.