Austin P ....
If what you say is correct I think it is even more unprofessional of the orginisation to not inform those who had applied to them (whether they be qualified or not) in good faith as to the status of their applications.
This "failure to communicate" seems to be the norm in Australia ATM .... IMO this gives the impression that these companies do not really consider applicants worthy of any courtesy at all .... not surprising if that attitude then is reflected back at them in the future.