Maclean NSW 2463
PO BOX 464
MACLEAN NSW 2463
E-mail davgarn@tpg.com.au
10th September 2003
The Secretary,
Senate Environment, Communications
Information Technology and the Arts Legislation Committee,
Dear Sir/Madam,
Re SALE OF BALANCE OF TELSTRA
We, the signatories of this e-mail desire that the balance of Telstra not be sold by Government for the following reasons: -
1.The copper cabling, exchanges and such infrastructure should always remain in the ownership of the people of Australia who own and financed the creation of this public utility.
2 We also have an example of the problems of poor download time being experienced in our area, which is almost laughable. E.g.: on 03/09/03 at 9.00 am it took me exactly 1 hour to download from Zonelabs the latest firewall ZoneAlarm 4.0, one hour to download 3.95 Mb = 1.08 Kb/sec. We are told that Telstra is performing well?
This quoted 1 Kb/second download speed is not an isolated case and is more the rule than the exception.
My computer Consultant has said, in regard to the aforementioned Zonelabs case:- I suspect the poor download time is a combination of both poor Telstra lines and overload of the internet server (TPG) POSSIBLY CAUSED BY POOR SERVICE FROM Telstra in the first place!!
3. Broadband access comes at a very high price for pensioners (not the $10.00/month that we pay to TPG), more like $65.00
5.Telstra should remain in Government hands, because of the possibility of foreign terrorists /persons gaining control of this Authority. The Collapse of One.Tel is a good example of what can happen if unscrupulous people are in control of the Board of a Public Telco. The government may try and legislate their way out of such problems, but it is a hopeless task and the damage is done before the problem manifests itself (look at the HIH case where every one knew except the watchdog APRA, which body still has not been brought to account for their failure?
4. Other Telephone Companies, such as Optus, would then also be at telstras mercy because Telstra owns the basic infrastructure of the Communications network.
5. The sale of the airports is another good example of the folly of selling essential Government services to Private enterprise, as their cost cutting exercises allow for constant security risks taking place, such as allowing passengers, to board aircraft without having been inspected, with the ensuing shambles of having to download those already boarded and starting again. That is if they eventually wake up!!
6.Telstra is one of the last remaining Government assets that this Government and former Governments have not sold. Why is this Government Hell Bent to sell one
of our last remaining assets?. The proceeds of the sale would no doubt be wasted on some nebulous scheme to benefit the Upper Crust of the community.
This proposed sale would leave a large consolidated revenue deficiency, for the provision of social services.
7.We will probably now hear of all sorts of good ideas of spending the money from this proposed sale, such as spending this sale money on the Wentworth Groups recent slightly sanitized, Save the rivers project, which is deeply flawed, because trading water rights, with large injections of Government (taxpayers) money is also not a desirable answer.
8.If the Government were to pay off a large portion of Government Debt, with the proceeds of the Telstra sale, it would lead to instability in the Bond Market, in this time of deflationary pressures. Superannuation Fund Managers would be in more trouble trying to obtain suitable interest rates for their investments and would be driven more into the uncertain Equity Markets, where they have lost so much money recently (mostly negative growth). This may even affect Government Employees Super Funds, although, worry not, because I am sure this Government would provide for any shortfall out of consolidated revenue.
9.Sale of Telstra would make it dead easy for a Legitimate organization to take control of Telstra and hold the country to ransom.
10.In view of the latest terrorist threats, that Government keeps warning us about, the privatized portion of Telstra, should not be sold by Government and the sale should be abandoned.
Yours faithfully,
David Garner
PO Box464, Maclean NSW 2463
Leni Kabisch and Fay Brown,
Both of 1/17 the Mainbrace Yamba NSW
ps