Well I have to be short, otherwise Woomera will lock me.
All Iam saying RK is, AN used standards for its employment criteria, and as you say, "loyalty" was one of them. That was their right.
I believe it is also the right of any other airline to use their own standards. If airline ABC wants all pilots to have green hair, that is their right. Ansett decided that loyalty of a pilot was displayed by a certain group of actions, another airline may decide differently. I cant see a problem. We all know of people who missed out at ABC ( because their hair was pink), but got a job at XYZ.
There is more to employment than lots of hours in a log book, and dedication to a previous employer. As I said before, each airline has its own "make-up" ( not only in OZ, but world wide). That make up is influenced by many things, and as a new intake pilot (which regardless of how much experience a pilot has, he will always be), the company must decide if the new pilot will fit into its Company make-up and "culture".
If you do great, if not..well thats how it goes. A pilot may have fitted very well into the AN culture, but in the opinion of ZDB airlines, have no hope of fitting into theirs, thats the way it is.
Well its not short, so I guess I face a lock, I will post at my peril