I'm surprised by all this talk of jobs with US Regionals flying Jets and how awesome their selection process and training system is...aren't these the same companies notorious for low salaries and pilots living on food stamps. Or has the pay improved dramatically in recent years? I understand cost of living in the US outside of the major cities is substantially cheaper than here which would go some way to making it more attractive but our overall quality of life here is much better (Healthcare/Schools/Universities).
By allowing Aussie pilots to fly over there, they've opened up the pool of suitable applicants and surely this keeps downward pressure on wages. Same with the old 457 program here in Australia (which I believe has just kicked off again for Pilots in "regional" areas).