[clug] stupid Communications ministers
Peter Anderson
peter.anderson at internode.on.net
Fri Nov 17 06:30:18 GMT 2006
It's not just the 'stupid Communications Ministers' but its also the
stupid public servants at the Department of Communications and whatever
else they are called these days.
I know its too late for this argument but it still makes my blood boil
so here goes:
Why didn't the Government split Telstra before the T3 sale? It was just
such a blindingly sensible thing to do. Whether you like the company or
not; Telstra is always going to be at a disadvantage when it is required
by regulation to provide its competitors with cheap access to its
infrastructure. In what other industry does such stupidity prevail?
The Government (Minister for Communications and her Departmental
advisers) should have pressed to split Telstra into two: retail and
infrastructure. Either both could then be privatised as separate
entities or (and if I were a politician this would be my preference)
privatise the retail half and keep the infrastructure half as a
Government Business Enterprise. Why I think the second option is the
better (from a politician's point of view) is that the Parliament could
have some direct say over technology roll-out and members could ensure
that their constituents were given equitable treatment (I think its
called 'pork barrelling).
However, successive ministers (beginning with that well known
'innovator' Senator Richard Alston) their advisers and public servants
have had their collective heads in the sand. They have been captives of
the organisation they were meant to regulate (how often does one see
this in government) and have consistently pushed a line of "what's good
for Telstra" rather than "what's good for Australia".
I am just starting to warm-up and would like to have a 'spay' about my
old workplace - NOIE - but will leave that for another time.
Regards,
Peter
--
Peter Anderson
E: peter.anderson at internode.on.net
W: http://www.users.on.net/~peter.anderson/
<http://www.users.on.net/%7Epeter.anderson/>
P: +61 (0)2 4472 2274
M: +61 (0)418 249 648
There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to
conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the
introduction of a new order of things — Niccolo Machiavelli, /The
Prince/, ch. 6
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