I hope they don't mind sitting in the backseat for 8-10 years!
Based on the change in direction that the bumbling Qantas management are finally taking this company. I predict (IMHO) that there will be a sizable increase in the number of aircraft and thus the requirement for a lot more pilots. I believe that the current S/O's who have had their career stagnated by the poor management decisions will spend minimum time as F/O's before being promoted to Captain. Also, the new hires who get in early will spend minimal time as S/O's, so, everyone who is interested in getting a job with Qantas should be sending in updated resume's now and try to get selected as early as possible.
This cyclical nature of the airline industry has happened since airlines first formed so it's not rocket science - those who get in at the beginning of a large recruitment end up being "senior" in rank during the periods of stagnation throughout their career and thus enjoy the best opportunities. With it likely that QF will be the only Oz airline expanding, it will probably offer the best career prospects (Virgin & Jetstar have a lot of youngish captains who won't be retiring for a number of years so movement in those companies will be slow).