Qantas Flight Ops management apparently changed their mind at the 11th hour and wanted to place extra restrictions on crews going to Emirates.
When the QantasAsia CEO went on TV, Emirates management got a copy of the interview. They probably know they can pick up the 100 plus pilots(sorry Kamikazes) that will be axed from Qantas after the August announcement.
As Wayne Kearns says, "if you have to choose between a f&*^ up, or a conspiracy, it's always the F%$# up".