I'm not bitter and twisted, nor is my ego getting in the way of my opinion and I'm not disagreeing with the general direction that AIPA is wanting to head towards.
I belieive strongly that QF pilots are amongst the best in the world, and should be renumerated in such a way. However, by ensuring a constant and attractive career path for a young pilot you will also ensure they will go on to earn good money, at a safe and stable airline, in Australia. You don't have to pay $160,000 PA for a A380 SO to ensure you have an excellent pilot, especially if at the end of the day there is no airline for him when he becomes an FO. What you need to ensure is that you can maintain a business, which is competitive for both the employer and employees.
how are you going to compete with Asian airlines? Yes, I would take one of my Aussie mates flying anyday. Unfortunetly I'm not the public and they don't care. Whether this be right or wrong is not the question. Its purely dollar driven.The fact is that arguments of Asian airlines being substandard can only be backed up by inside industry knowledge and not crash statistics or incidents.
There is always an assumed risk, whether it is big or small changes with the individual. This risk will not change proportionally with the ticket prices or pay between airline carriers. This is, unfortunetly where we have found ourselves in the aviation business.