I accept that a carrier into Alice Springs would be justified in using part timers for a few flights a week. I've never been there but I suspect getting between town and the airport would not take long. The big problem with Sydney is the distances those on this wage would have to travel to get back home and also the cost of parking or train. An in between job is just not realistic.
However, if the EBA included a reasonable wage, with a loading for split shifts, then the airlines would have to pay up as no contractor is going to tender below their costs plus a margin.
The real long term problem here is the award/work agreement which allows this to happen. In the past I have been involved in awards which recognised geographical differences. For airline pilots this is seen in meal allowances for different ports rather than a blanket daily rate. Hidden away are many more.
One of the "sleepers" here which if not corrected come back to bite all of us including pilots is the recent decision on Sunday work for hospitality. The basis of this decision is that Sunday is no longer a special day. For pilots and others who don't get paid extra for Sunday work, if you look carefully at you WPA you will find that your weekly/annual wage includes an inbuilt Sunday and Saturday work margin. It seems to me that the next step in the Sunday saga is to move it to all categories of weekend workers which will ultimately
impact on agreements with this inbuilt margin.
Wunwing