FGD135 asks whether the airlines have the kind of loot that the resources sector has. I think it was a rhetorical question. Somewhere else I saw that NJS pay their captains about $150k. That seems about ball-park for what's involved. Anyone can't live on that here seriously needs to either find a less expensive wife/boat/farm etc or head overseas.
Are pilot salaries at Rex and Sunnies etc fair? Probably not, but conditions in the regionals here are still better than at the same level in the USA. From one who has sampled the delights of regional work there.
Come the next downturn, who knows whether the two main Oz regionals will survive, whether or not there is a pilot shortage, whether they pay them 50K or 250K? Even without a downturn we could see Sunnies work totally farmed out to the likes of NJS. We could yet see Virgin start smaller routes with another AOC holder as well. If they played it right with small regional jets or decent turboprops they could wipe Rex out and nick half of the Qantas regional work overnight. Because we don't have the dreaded scope clauses that the Yanks suffer with there is nuthin' pilot groups can do about this, either. Bottom line is, will airline managements be moved to significant pilot wage increases just because there is a shortage? I doubt it.