SW3,
short, blunt, but to the point.
I agree with what you are saying and at Rex seniority is dictated by the hours you have on start date, so a direct entry will be above a cadet on the same ground school but below other pilots (direct and cadet) that started on ground schools before them.
I don't understand why it is necessary here in Australia to start up cadet programmes with all the guys and girls slugging it out in G.A. (probably been said once or twice before on pprune)
no one