The Aus ATPL is not worthless if you'll do the flying in Oz. But I agree with 40DegSth that when you go overseas the exams were worthless, they wouldn't recognize it. I was made to sit the 6 exams required to qualify for the foreign ATPL.
Where I am (Asia), no one could do the ATPL exams until you get the 1500 hours required with 100 night hours. Comparing Oz, we could sit the exams after getting the CPL and IR ( in our licenses) out of the way.
Mind you though, F/O's here
are not required to pass the ATPL exams to get hired in the airlines.....
. They only would require that before you fly in the left seat or will be tasked to fly left seat as a cruise relief pilot for the Captain even if your rank in the flight deck is an F/O. ( that's from a B777 F/O ). They only get the night hours once they fly with the airlines thus building up the 100 hours quickly especially with long haul flights, not in the lights twins like we do. Take off at 8pm (Asian time), fly all night to Sydney (for example), and land at 4am. ( 6am Australian time) that's 8 hours of night time in one day.
They don't even require multi-engine time in the airlines (not unless you are flying turbo-props !!! ... huh ??). They do the assymetrics training in the jets where they will be training on....... so, it's a different world out there.
They even have the MPL (Multi-crew pilot's license) where a 70 hour pilot is part of an A320 crew.
