Novice:
The aforementioned posts should answer the vast majority of your questions.
In relation to pilots bringing tangible things to the bargaining table:
I think you'll find that whilst there is little in terms of hard numbers, the company are very well aware of the fact that pilots can make or break company profits on a daily basis. Little day-to-day operational decisions like fuel uplift, track shortening, cost index, optimum level cruise (I could literally go on for hours here) etc, can save an airline millions every year. This obviously doesn't just effect Qantas, but all airlines. It is, however, just another thing that Qantas pilots bring to the table come EBA negotiation time.
Further to some of what the others have written:
It's also important to remember the environment in which the original EBAs were signed. For example the original Qantas LH & SH EBAs were in place WELL before the appearance of Virgin, Jetstar/Impulse or Tiger. These EBAs were signed under far more favourable times for pilot hiring. Qantas pilots could demand what they felt they deserved. In standing with global traditions, Australian pilot EBAs tend to generally improve at EBA time by roughly national CPI. This has been the case with Qantas LH & SH EBAs.
Hope this clears things up for you.