Skystar
Yes! You're missing something! Route protection expires in December this year, with extensions, March 09. It is not very likely that there will be route protection beyond that as the argument for it is simply no longer there and even if there is, it's almost certain that both Geraldton and Albany will not be included.
Both DJ's (E-jets) and QF's (Q-400) submissions are likely to be more attractive than XR's F50's
Geraldton has "never" been protected from a Jet Service.