Shiny jet syndrome
Ixixly,
Most people I know would be happy to stay on pistons or small turbo props (King Air for example) if the job wasn't in Alice Springs, Kununnura, Jabiru, Weipa or Katherine. The operators don't want to hire 300 hour guys and invest a bit of training in them, they want guys ready to go who some other mug has spent money on to train.
Unless GA operators can offer some sort of structure to the progression of the new hires they will run at first opportunity. When I started out with my 250 hours I would have happily flown a single for 12 to 18 months if I knew for certain that twin time awaited me. What good is it if my company keeps on getting twin drivers from outside and slots them in above me? I know Alice Springs, Broome and the one remaining Kununurra operator do this constantly.
I hear you shout "contract minimums". Well in the not to distant future planes will sit on the ground if the insurance companies insist on some of these ridiculous flight times required for contracts. Slingair had caravans on the ground and had to get someone else to fly one of its contracts recently. Contract mins are like the old hiring mins. When the stream eventually dries up they will drop.