To take away from this petty tiff, I still think the cadetship is just as attractive if not more attractive than previously.
You get to choose where you go; that means if I want to go work for a Flying School, or a charter mob out bush I can, in fact this is a pro, I would have rather spent the two years at least getting a taste of these mythical hard yards you all talk about rather than sit in QFLink. At the very least I'd rather work for a mob that flys to more unique places, remote Australia, Pacific etc. I will be flying to major cities for the rest of my life with QF.
The way finding the work was explained to me when I queried QF, made it sound not like cadets were stuck on there own to find the work entirely. I interpreted it more as how year 10 work experience works. It's your responsibility to find the placement but your careers advisor (QF) will help if you get stuck.
The DE test I think is merely another hurdle that although annoying is probably fair. There is no sim test prior to this for Cadets, its possible a guy is a great GA pilot, great in the charter world but struggles when he hits the airlines. In theory if we say that the cadets are the cream of the crop (which again many of you seem to believe they think), it shouldn't be hard for them at all!
The QF cadetship is still a very real option (but not the only one) for me at the end of this year, still the major disadvantage is not any of the new changes but cost, as it had been since I first heard of the cadetship all those years ago.