History repeats itself??
You may well have it on impeccable authority Capt. K. I can assure you that the same scenario presented itself in 2001 when a legacy carrier in severe financial straits, lobbied emotively to deny rescue to its competitor.
Already the subject of a very public attack on its reputation and wounded by a canabalising parent, this competitor pleaded publically for permission to raise the necessary funds through investment by a foriegn airline . As has been repeatedly stated here by others , the legacy carrier ran straight to the Minister concerned , ( who was later rewarded with a gig there) , ensuring that 16000 people lost their jobs.
What may not be so widely known , but is most definitely true, is that one was sacrificed to save the ailing other, 'flag carrier'.
John Howard's 'love child' (T A) does not seem to have any appetite for rescue this time around.