Qantas does not sponsor. You have to pay for it. Other limitations are visas etc.
Air France will want you to speak fluent French. They speak French on the flight deck.
Good on you for not wanting a massive loan. Finish the degree, find something to do part time on the weekends. Find an airport somewhere that you can get immersed in the industry so you get contacts.
At the moment, it's quite a challenging environment for low houred guys so you don't need to rush. Plan to finish your degree, get a job, earn some cash and then reassess your options.
Eg, you can do the ATPL theory part time whilst earning money and then when you need to do the flying in blocks, (the IR training) you'll be in a better position to take leave and do the flying in a chunk.
While you're studying. Keep an eye on Flight International for how the industry fairing, keep an eye on this and other sites for employment and most importantly, keep in touch with your local airfield, when the instructors move on, there's employment opportunities.