The latest news is QANTAS is sacking around 500 aircraft engineers in Melbourne. Clearly this is part of management strategy to offshore the airline to Malaysia and the Phillipines where its cheaper to run an airline than here. Some of these jobs will go to Brisbane but it appears inevitable the jobs will go overseas to lower wage systems.

The government should put it to QANTAS management the following choice. Advise them they are free to base their operations overseas as its a free country. However if they do then the Australian aviation market will be opened up to foreign airlines with QANTAS and Jetstar losing its protected status in the Australian aviation market. This would create the added benefit of more competition and lower prices for most passengers.

QANTAS should not be allowed to have it both ways, overseas savings with domestic protection, and they should not call themselves Australia's national airline if the majority of their operations are based overseas.