Now do you guys get an inkling of the importance of Qantas to the economy and why it should never have been privatized?
Sunfish,
You haven't got a clue as to what you are talking about.
I worked for Qantas when it was owned by the government and while it was a warm and fuzzy place to work, the government took all the profits and the airline was starved for capital, year after year after year. No money to buy aircraft (all fancy leases) no money to buy ground equipment, no money to maintain ground equipment above the minimum, no money to paint the offices, no money to repair/replace threadbare carpets, direct government interference in industrial relations.
People might think it was bad under Strong/Dixon/Joyce. It was ten times worse when the government owned it. My guess is that about half of those who are currently employed in the group wouldn't have a job to go to if the government still owned Qantas.
Who could forget Sir Roland Wilson or Sir Lennox Hewitt as Chairman of the Qantas Board. Who could forget the various government cronies who were appointed to the board at separate times. Who could forget having to fly to Damascus and Belgrade as part of government policy with very few passengers, if any. Who could forget Qantas not being allowed to fly to South Africa as part of the opposition to apartheid campaign, but flying to Harare where all the passengers would get off the Qantas aircraft and get straight on to a South African Airways aircraft bound for Johannesburg. As part of government policy Qantas was denied profits on the most lucrative route in the world while SAA made a killing.
Those rose coloured glasses need cleaning I'm afraid.