Dick,
I agree with a lot of your comments, particularly with how government policy has helped create the situation we are in.
However, I'm not convinced that foreign carriers' lower cost base has as great an impact as you believe. Qantas has always had a higher cost base than our competitors, and yet has up until recently managed to make healthy profits. Why do you think this is so? Apart from having a higher cost base, how much have factors like poor fleet choice, Jetstar cannibalising Mainline, poor route structure, lack of investment in product etc etc affected the bottom line?
I notice on your website you promote your products as made by companies which act in a "highly ethical manner". The problem I have with your comments in the Australian article is that they give credibility to the unethical manner in which Qantas is acting. If you genuinely want to try and resolve this situation in the best interests of Australia and Australian employees you should at least be trying to ascertain :
1. If the accounts that Qantas presents to the media are an accurate and fair representation of the state of the company, particularly how costs are apportioned between parts of the group.
2. What alternative solutions may exist to offshoring the company, preferable by consulting in good faith with current employees.
Shouldn't we at least try to explore these things before throwing our hands in the air and moving Qantas to Asia?