I don't really get the "we cannot cover alcohol". Do Qantas not serve alcohol on the plane? With our stupid RSA rules, we are quickly moving down the path of the USA when it comes to childish approaches to alcohol. You were stuck a long way from where you are meant to be (an expensive place at that). Qantas is responsible for that. Simply covering your actual costs is not actually good enough. What is ones time worth? If I was stuck in PHE when I needed to be elsewhere (and potentially missed a presentation), I could potentially be out of pocket by thousands of dollars. I don't see why Qantas feel they are not at all responsible for the damages they caused.
Probably because if you were really forced to read them, you'd find the terms & conditions of carriage (those last 5 pages written in micro-print of your booking reference document) actually state that the carrier is entitiled to make any changes they see fit at any time they see fit and for any reason whatsoever without disclosure. Furthermore, by accepting the fare and boarding the aircraft in the first place you are deemed to have agreed to each and every one of these ridiculous terms in their entirety.
On the subject of consequential damages, when I lodged the claim with the ACA, I decided $135 wasn't enough of a claim, so I also chucked in the change of flight fee as well, which was another $704.10. My original booking had me flying on May 31, but the site work completed one shift earlier, so my flight was changed to May 30 instead for which there was a change booking fee to be paid. The original ticket cost was $336.09. The change fee was a totally ridiculous $704.10 on top just to go 24hrs earlier.
I argued that due to Qantas changing the flight last minute and then hitting the bird as a result, that the service for which the $704.10 fee had been paid (ie. to get home 24hrs earlier) was now not being delivered and therefore should be refunded. Simple logic by my thinking. I still believe this, but as I did not pay for the change fee in the first place, I have more or less decided that is not worth fighting for, especially since my employer who did pay it, is now no longer my employer. I don't feel an overwhelming urge to go into battle on my former employer's behalf, when they had no hesitation in discarding me once I had completed their job for them.
Update from the ACA: They have forwarded on my reply to Qantas' declaration they won't cover alcoholic drinks and correction of their mathematics and await a response from them to my submitted claim form. Still all heading in the right direction and I'm pleased so far with the speed of response and actions of the ACA.