"....but it is inevitable that a reduction in staff numbers will be necessary in selected parts of our business,''
First to go should be all of the many consultants, especially those who have taken a package from Qantas and then returned very quickly on contracts. Nice work if you can get it but hardly fair to those on whom the axe is likely to fall. If these people (i.e., the consultants) are so good and vital to still have on the payroll in one way or another, why were they given a package?
Good luck to those likely to be sacrificed in the name of efficiency, but heres hoping the airline takes the chance to get rid of some dead wood. There is still a lot around.