And yet I know (personally) of 2 blokes who came through GA - both about the 2500 hour mark with MECIR (PA31s - neither had turbine time, to my knowledge). Both applied in Nov / Dec 2016 to the carrier whose heart is in the country (and whose hand is in your pocket).
Both (in the last month or two) have been signed off as FOs working from their preferred base.
One is one of the best pilots I have ever flown with - professional, knowledgeable, unflappable, does his homework. Would cheerfully put my kids in an aircraft with him, without a second thought.
The other is a lazy tw*t who doesn't know sh!t from shoe polish, and is still being spoon fed by Mumsy. I thank the good Lord above that he is FO, and will seriously start to worry if / when he becomes Captn.
So consistency in hiring techniques, and what an airline is looking for? Consistency, my arse.
And to answer the question GA in Australia - is it over? The answer is not quite, but definitely in its death throes. Look at the number of GA operators who have gone out of business in the last 15 years, and the majority who have gone are owner / operators. The majority of those left are either corporates or cowboys - very few owner / operators still around. It doesn't even need any effort by the Regulator to kill off the industry - all it needs is more of the same.