I dont agree about singletons assertions that a tax should be levied on competitors to protect Qantas. But I do believe we shouldn't allow foreign competitors to capacity dump in this industry or any industry that is a major employer in this country. The host country should get free right of return, if EK lands 500 seats in an Australian port, an Australian airline gets 500 seats in their port. 1 for 1, not 109 per week vs 14. If the demand is there, both airlines can grow concurrently.
The benefit to Australia with justification that there is more low paid hospitality jobs created to counteract the loss in high paid skilled positions, the closure of most of Qantas's maintenance facilities being an excellent example, doesn't in my opinion justify a free trade.
I think what he probably meant to say if he had more time was, although I could be wrong, that free trade agreements are good if the world is an equal playing field. It's not an equal playing field and if the government wants to jump in the free trade world then don't expect the country to be better off at the end of it. Don't expect your icons to survive, don't expect your local industry to grow to support the large icons. Don't expect the closure of a Heavy Maintenance facility with 1000 jobs gone to not have a flow on effect of 5x as much in the community that supports that operation.
Manufacturing jobs have a multiplying effect. Hospitality jobs don't.