Mr Buchanan, and in my opinion most of the protagonists in this debate, are missing the point as to why experienced and well trained pilots are needed as First Officers in modern jets.
A two person airline crew, like as the majority of the Jetstar and QF flights that are flying right now requires both pilots to act as a filter for the potential human errors of ATC, loaders, engineers, other pilots but most critically... each other.
Having four bars on my shoulders does not indemnify me from gross human error. As a QF captain I am spoiled by the quality of the first officers I fly with. I respect their opinions because that respect has been earned by virtue of the many thousands of hours flying under all conditions that they have accumulated.
So when one of them expresses concern over some aspect of my operation, I listen very carefully and if need be, I correct myself.
If I was flying with a 250 hour ex-cadet, I am reasonably certain I could detect most of their errors and correct them or take over if necessary. The brainspace I have now acquired after decades of flying gives me that advantage.
I cannot reasonably expect a 250 hour ex-cadet to supply the same service to me. And that is the problem.
These pilots have not acquired the psuedo-sixth sense that experience imbues in a pilot. The ability to project ahead and foresee possible problems. The ability to critically analyse the performance of the person they are flying with and be on guard for errors. They have also not earned my respect for their opinions on anything to do with flying.
We all should recognise all the implications of that last sentence.
History is littered with accidents caused by the failure of a suborninate pilot to correct the error of more experienced one.
The statistics will never reveal the accidents averted when suborninate pilots, experienced and sure of their ground, corrected the error of the more senior pilot, and the flight landed safely.
A first officer on a modern jet is the safety pilot of the entire airline operation.
They are the last slice of swiss cheese. When the holes on all the other slices have lined up, including the one where the captain is having a sub-par day, then the absolute final bulwark against an accident is the person wearing three stripes.
Therefore they cannot be learners
If you do not understand that Mr Buchanan, then for the sake of the safety record of the Qantas Group, resign your post and let someone into your job who does.