Seriously, you should call his office and speak to him, you will probably get hold of him.
If you can't, at least let them know how disappointed you are.
I did something similar when they flew a Merlin, Citation and Cheyenne from Mel - Syd with a few firefighters on board; it was a rewarding conversation and I don't think they will do that again.
Chances are that Mildura was not the only destination that day and as soon as you start to add in a few stops, the RPT argument falls apart very quickly.
Alternatively, get onto the Herald Sun straight away in the morning and they will probably publish it by the arvo, however depends which party they are out to burn this week.