My Oleo,
It is quite clear that you have your head up your azz! So if all airlines (except Qantas) closed shop, then according to you it's no big deal and life will go on. Do you think that it would be any different if Qantas folded? Let me tell you, life will still go on if this was to happen, like life went on in the USA when their treasured Pan Am folded, along with other countless airlines around the world.
To suggest it's ok for all other airlines in Australia to go bankrupt as long as Qantas remains so it doesn't create a "heritage gap" is completely idiotic. I don't want to see Qantas collapse, that would be a real shame. But they are a company and if they can't remain profitable then they will be history like so many other great airlines. I am pretty sure that we can all live with the "heritage gap".
On a side note, both Virgin and Tiger perform their maintenance in Australia. It's Qanats that is off shoring all of their flying jobs and maintenance. I think you will also find that although a company like Virgin isn't majority Australian owned, they are still creating many jobs for Australians (when is the last time Qantas recruited flight crew or engineers) and are even going as far as to integrate their pilots at Pacific Blue with the pilots at Virign Australia. Lets see your beloved Qantas do the same with their Jet Connect and mainline crew. I'm sure that will happen when hell feezes over!
