I am not in the industry (outsider looking in), but an idea of pay scales and minimum salary etc can be found in the Air Pilots Award off the AFAP website:
http://www.fwa.gov.au/documents/mode...f/MA000046.pdf
All I will say is if you really want to be flying, start now while you can be mobile and support yourself. Life changes, go after while you want while you can.
I wouldn't look too hard at money. Like any industry you always start at the bottom and you can learn to live off what you get one way or another, and more money comes with experience and skills and your own desire to move up. Trust me, sitting in an office earning $$$ doesn't compensate when you watch every plane go by the window and wish you were up there instead....
