Fair Dinkum, Cobber
And that seems to be an apt phrase top use in connection with the Qantas dispute - which seems to have ended - vitually overnight.
Qantas had grounded all of its flights in an increasingly biiter dispute with its trade unions - whom the company accused of making unreasonable demands.
But instead of dragging things out for months on end - the issues involved were put to an independent arbitration panel - which seems to have ruled in the company's favour and ordered everyone back to work.
Now I don't know much about the independent tribunal involved - but it does seem to have done the trick - by coming down largely in favour of one side or the other - instead of splitting hairs.
If that's what has happened it's called pendulum arbitration - which means just that - choosing between different and sometimes highly polarised arguments.
The advantage being that it encourages both sides in an industrial dispute to behave reasonably - not to exaggerate things.
Otherwise if the dispute is referred to arbitration - then the party that has been rowing its boat out too far is likely to lose.
In the UK we have ACAS - the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service - but this quango does not enjoy the best of reputations and lacks real teeth.
Everyone involved in a industrial dispute in the UK has to agree to ACAS becoming involved - and it has no history of moving quickly to bring in decisive judgments - as the long-running BA dispute being the perfect example.
So maybe our Aussie friends have come up with a good idea - Fair Work Australia is the name of the independent tribunal - which has brought the Qantas dispute to a swift end.
Fair dinkum, cobbers.
