Don't you remember? So QANTAS pilots don't pollute the culture at Australia's only 1 Star airline.....
Hence the logic for the current "crisis". The crisis allows the justification for government assistance to throw industrial agreements under the bus. The not so subtle angle here is for redundancies on type, in rank, whilst continuing to employ in the wider group.
Even better, this narrative gets ideological kudos in Canberra where companies have to "help themselves first" [decode: sack workers on expensive agreements out of step with "community expectations
*"] before the government could consider assistance.
Of course, if Alan gets his way, reduction in costs will simply allow the capacity war to be sustained for a little bit longer. All these saving will be expended trying to destroy JB & Virgin. This is the modern version of warfare, using workers as cannon fodder to support the leaders ego & status, rather than soldiers. Nothing will stop this until someone runs out of cash.
* Undefined term designed to appeal to envy.