This isn’t about some ex-RAAF Qantas pilots flying F18s or F111s. It’s about any and all Qantas 737 pilots flying RAAF 737s and any and all Qantas A330s pilots flying RAAF A330s.
I think anyone with any experience of Canberra, (and to a lesser degree, Russell Hill), can see where this brainstrorm came from. Some bright-eyed Public Serf assistant to the assistant to the minister’s assistant sees that the RAAF is now (or soon will be) operating at least two of (to his/her eyes) exactly the same aircraft types as Qantas, (e.g., A330, B737).
The RAAF is screaming pilot shortage, but Qantas has seven or eight crews per aircraft. So, the bright spark in Canberra I have referred to above says why not use Qantas pilots to fly the RAAF aircraft that are same (or so he/she thinks) as the ones they fly for Qantas every day?
No one wearing a uniform in the corridors of Russell Hill can get the message across to the politicians and their ‘expert’ civilian staffs that there's a huge difference between flying an A300 between Perth and Singapore and flying an A330 tanker on a tactical mission with a brace of F18s, just as there's an equally huge difference in flying a 737 pax flight and a Wedgetail mission. (The VIP operation? Could just possibly be made to work, but would egos allow it? Would Kev and other pollies want any and every mere line pilot in QF to be entrusted with their well-being?)
About the only way I could see it working would be to have the 'captain' of the aircraft a serving RAAF officer, a bit like the RAF used to do on their maritime aircraft, where the TACO (a Nav) was the operational captain and the pilot ‘the commander’ only in aspects associated with flight safety. However, this would almost defeat its own purpose, as you'd still need one or more extra RAAF officers, even if they weren't a pilot or current on type, for each civil crew-operated mission. The RAAF navigator mafia would love it, but I can only imagine some of the 'old school' Skippy captains I know in that situation, and imagine your average QF pilot putting up with the crap the RAAF guys take in their stride on ops, i.e. basic (and I mean basic!) accommodation, roster changes, extended duty periods etc.