I have friends that are qualified (large quantities of jet time) and are in oz that are trying to get into one star. They cannot get a look in either through colllusion by the airlines or some other event that occured some years ago.
Either way, there are people here that can do the job, how does the govt justify the automatic giving of visas when all the resources have not been exhausted? It was only a few short months ago the airlines were denying there was a shortage, now they have cried poor and the govt have knee jerked without any research or justification and given them what they want.
There is also one undeniable fact, for 10 years (probably more but lets say 10) no airline has spent any more money on training than they legislatively had to. Now as the old grey mare is making her way slowly out the gate, the airlines move to shut it, by opening tin pot academies that are in more sh!t than a Werribee duck, MPLs and cadet programs that wont bear fruit for years.
The mining sector have realised that to get quality people they have to pay top money. How many 457 visas have the mining industry requested for their basic operations? None because they still get people by paying the right money.
Groups such as AIPA and AFAP should be putting the same amount of pressure on the govt as the airlines are and trying to stop what has already started.