Alan Joyce did say on business TV channels that cancellations of flights was a move to boost flight prices BTW [1].

Which is also a bit "richer" with what you outlined at the end. My personal opinion is that Qantas is also doing it tough operationally. Airlines have a lot of rules in regards to how long crew can operate with out a break. And they must follow them [2].

[1] Seen as a segment on The Gruen on the ABC (Australia). [2] Used to work for a company that wrote solvers for crew rosters years ago.