Tag: privatisation

No WIN for those in the Bush.

As I travelled around western Queensland in my former career it was vital for me and the locals to keep across area issues usually through WIN TV and ABC local news. Those services galvanise communities and are critical to the outlying properties so obviously that fact is ignored when the decision was taken to close WIN Tv in some rural and remote areas.

This decision has repercussions across the entire spectrum of the rural way of life where councils, essential services had a medium to directly contact its population in times of need.

Secondly it also provided employment and training for journalists, advertising and promotion for businesses, and more importantly a local platform for diverse news and opinions locally and nationally.

My fear is the major conglomerate news outlets will narrow the news feed focussing on major city issues that really the rural sector has no interest but get ratings on the coast.

When conglomerates gain control dollars for the shareholders is always the driver and service is secondary and we do not want monopoly’s controlling what you can or cannot hear or see.

Truth over Murdock Propaganda Critical in Australia.

I try to look at election campaigns across the free world objectively and I do hold my own political biases but we must rely on the media to give deliver truth, ethics and that in itself is sometimes is a problem depending on which outlet one chooses to read.

The line between news, opinion then verging on propaganda in this country sadly is mirroring America and this campaign is descending into that gutter by the Murdock press.

We have seen in past elections attacks on PM’s openly saying bag and drown the bitch, burn the witch, and many other slogans prominently splattered across mastheads and now we are sinking into attacks on politicians mothers.

Has Australian politics sunk that far or is it being dragged down by this organisation to keep what it sees as the right people to keep its organisation with a say in how our governments run?

We as Australians deserve better than this rubbish. We should not accept material that an never be described as journalism.

I am well aware this paper is owned by Murdock and it does not reflect its owners, as we do have editors around the country that maintain journalistic standards clearly reported when Palmer Party tried to ethically corrupt.

I’m pretty sure most intelligent Australians will not accept this American style of confronting intimidatory politics and demand balanced reporting, however painful it might be to our egos.

Strategic Sub Editing but the point was not lost, only the culprit hidden. 😂

Fake Fibre Obsolete On Delivery

As a former employee of Telstra and well trained in the capabilities of what the fibre network is capable of from its inception I struggle with what Australians have been forced to accept with the present NBN.

The network being rolled out as we speak is obselete in its present form and its capacity deliberately limited by this government to retain and protect current media monopolies.

When introduced in its infancy traffic in the fibre tubes was limited, but as technology expanded the capacity is only governed by what is hung on the end, therefore not only businesses ,households, the elderly sent to nursing homes, the sick or injured could have equipment ( health packs as invisaged) available in home ,with direct access to doctors and nursing staff and mobile doctors 24/7 cutting costs across the entire health spectrum. This is only one sector that has been restricted by this governments decision to retain copper and deliver a split network, one for the masses and one for the clients that can reap the benefits if they are wealthy enough.

Communication was legislated as a essential service in this country until privatisation, so their is no reason to get excited when you get a pay for a service that could deliver much more for the same cost, and that equation applies nationally.

It’s like buying a brand new car with 3 good tires and a retread and a free bumper bar thrown in.

Editorial Cut Sees My Health references irrelevant

Leave TELSTRA Employees Out of it.

I feel the pain of TELSTRA complaints every time I see and hear how customers are responding to the lack of service, performance and lack of basic good corporate citizenship.

I don’t expect customers of the this day and age to appreciate the corporate ethics the company had before it was decided the shareholders held more priorities than customers. I agonise when I see guards left on footpaths for years, pits crumbling, non identifiable people accessing the network at pillars knowing how confidentiality and privacy protocols no longer apply or monitored.

Every day in Australia we see good people in uniforms go to work and represent a company, cop the abuse, and do their best for a employer knowing full well they are working with people and systems that are not performing to our standards but may meet some benchmarks set by a bean counter that only understands profit and outsourcing Australians.

Shannon’s experience is common, and will continue until we take back what Australians owned and paid for before privatisation.

I had a American telecommunications expert tell me the network I was accountable for was “too good” and costing too much to maintain and customers had to expect delays in installation and repairs, FACT and that was just before the days of Blunt as MD. That signalled lip service to customer service.

Outsourcing responsibility, accountability, service and especially company brand is a decision only someone who has no respect or appreciation for the vastness and history of the Australian telecommunications network and the attitude accepted by overseas call centres of its “just another call” is not acceptable here and never will be, but please remember those Australian employees you vent your spleen on today are not the people who sold the farm and it’s machinery.

Brisbane Tunnels Overpriced and under Utilised.

No one doubts the importance of infrastructure in our nation building agendas by both state and federal governments. My issue is once that infrastructure is in place our leaders seem to think its job done and hand it over to the private sector to manage.

The building of the Brisbane tunnels was intended to relieve the congestion on state and federal roads by passing the inner city it in true capitalistic Privatisation trend the the cost of using the facilities has out priced itself.

It was my choice to use the tunnels to get to the Bruce Highway and it made the drive so much easier however the $21.14 charge return made me realise why I felt I was in the no vehicle twilight zone once I crossed the purple lights.

Whether you agree with its construction, or detest or can’t afford paying, those who use the facility are lightening the load on the public roads, exactly what was the initial intentions.

Using retail logic may I suggest rewarding those who choose to use the tunnel with some incentives via registration refund depending on usage and the owners dropping the prices would achieve the original goal of taking congestion away from city bottlenecks and increasing tunnel patronage. A Win ,win and making new work less intrusive for users and constructors for upgrades on older routes.

We need to do better than $21.14 or this infrastructure will be as extinct as Pahlke’s dinosaurs.

Our Electorates HiJacked by Big Business

The behaviour of federal government in the past month has disgusted many Australians particularly with the removal of the PM and the treatment of women has done nothing to encourage faith in the way our country’s direction is heading.

Now with the disclosure of how our PM was removed is nothing new as the media barons have boasted they have to power to change governments and again they decided it was time for Turnbull to go and let the dogs out on, and the southern shock jocks and Sky after dark did their thing and the politicians followed their orders accordingly.

Is that the democratic way to run our country or have we come down to letting outside influences who have vested interests to protect decide who is in charge?

Has the electorates voice been hijacked by big business or the real question is have we adopted the attitude of “ I’m all right mate it doesn’t effect me”?

That i suggest is the exact state of mind that allows the rich and powerful to take control of our society.

When our PM’s have to wear name badges when meeting other leaders we have sunk as low as our Wallabies on the world credibility rankings and it’s up to all of us to take back and reset our country’s course back to what matters, helping all Australians up, not trickle down.

The Power of the Editor

Opinions are abundant when it comes to the fate of the ICC depending on who you choose to give a ear but one thing is absolutely clear, ipswich needs and deserves better but I’m finding it difficult to accept the selective memory of some in regards to past history.

Up front I was one who felt the wrath of the punter when he people of ipswich rejected politics in council however one would be totally naive to believe politics stopped and has ever stopped since.

Looking at the track record of new blood in council it’s pretty clear the inner network worked well under the popularity of the former mayor right down to having the partnering electoral signage sites, advertising, of sitting members each feeding off the his popularity, so it was convenient to forget at times for the alleged independents until elected , then the old chestnuts reappear after. Look at me .. I’m independent!!

Choosing Public Life and service is a choice and a accountability not only to your electorate but to your entire Council and the real question is why things went unchallenged until the Red Pyjamas then it was shock, horror? Why were the uncomfortable questions not asked in council or complaints investigated?

The standard you choose to ignore is the standard you accept.

For the new inductees of the council my heart goes out as they walked in on a existing landmine of not of their making but and if the ccc investigation is still ongoing the state government cannot act if sub judiciary concerns apply.

In the eyes of many, dismiss or not, the old principle applies, you fly with the crows you will be shot as a crow.

Cyber Attack Self Inflicted.

It is now with monotonous regularity we are alerted that our security has or has the potential to be infringed.

At a cost of billions governments has set up new Departments, employed millions of staff and in fact created a total industry that obviously far off the pace of the hackers.

We always know why as the excuses are so repetitious but how is never actually revealed and not shocking that most of the alleged hackers are coming from countries with closed networks.

In our exuberance to open ourselves to privatisation we surrendered security of our communication system to the shareholder, and anyone that paraded as a communications employee was given instant access to our exchanges, pillars and cross connecting equipment. Even today no one challenges a unmarked ute or van parked outside a business , house or now fibre distribution point as most have been conditioned that’s its legitimate activity.

Those of us who were trained in communication security before privatisation predicted this viral trend and was duly redundant.

As the network now is more condensed yet more accessible to the would be perpetrators, security is now left to on site cyber walls owned and operated by commercial interests. Yep that’s safe, you must agree?

It’s up to governments, not commercial interests to protect our commercial and private data and subletting accountability is not acceptable, and every time you hear or see security breaches remember its self inflicted and think how good privatisation of our communication carriage has made Australia, and if it’s personally worth it.

Then in saying that if you’ve never had it you’ll never know, until it’s you that’s hacked.

The Gelded Royal Commission into Banking.

It took years for this government to agree to have a Royal Commission into Banking and when the did it dampened the terms of investigation and we should ask why.

It’s now revealing millions of Australians have been ripped off by shonky operators, subcontracted or directly employed by corporate giants.

The untold damage they have inflicted on average people who went to professionals who knew that they could not maintain the debt yet applications submitted inflated figures to get bonuses, spotter fees, or in some cases shares in the interest attached to the loans.

To me that’s fraud. If I sold you a car that knew would break down without a guarantee then fine you for not making repayments I would be jailed yet these corporates have been doing this and would have happily continued regardless.

Whatever happened to The good Corporate Citizen and good corporate governance?

It’s shareholder profit that counts and ethics and integrity sent the back of the field and these are the organisations this government are sworn to support by giving them tax cuts.

This government were given the heads up hence the Terms of Reference restricted.

Council Amalgamations have Collateral Damage in Moreton Shire.

How quickly we forget.

Maybe Council Amalgamations may have consolidated administration but when it comes down to what the actual ratepayer gets their certainly is collateral damage.

Moreton Shire Council ratepayers are still suffering.

Facts were Ipswich Council was broke, machinery and equipment in disrepair while Moreton fully financial and progressing then came the amalgamation and Moreton got the Mayor and surrendered its autonomy and assets to Ipswich as a trade off.

Since that day we old Moreton ratepayers have played second fiddle to its Ipswich counterparts.

Our money has been redirected to the “Big Picture” fantasy while the only thing we have have gained was a recycle bin.

Our roads are a patchwork quilt, little or no kerb and channeling outside townships, while entire suburbs and towns and communities are being created brand new from our contributions while our rates in the old shire have tripled.

Sounds fair doesn’t it?

Whatever spin you put on it today will not negate the fact that Moreton ratepayers were dudded in the name of progress and that debt has not been repaid unless we count that very expensive recycle bin.

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