[LINK] potential Telstra breakup (from Coonan vs Conroy)

[David Lochrin]

On Wednesday 03 October 2007 22:51, Eleanor Lister wrote:

>>    The Government would need to pass legislation which applies to all
>> providers of "communications infrastructure" (to be defined) without
>> particular reference to Telstra.
>
> rubbish, they do it all the time, as an enabling act, and it can name
> particular entities and be as prescriptive as the gov't wants it to be.
>
> here's an example of a statutory authority set up with one :
> http://www.abcc.gov.au/

   While I agree the Howard Government is mounting a witchhunt in the worst traditions of 1950's American McCarthyism, the fact is that the CFMEU can't actually claim any loss as a result of the "enquiry".

   This is quite different to legislating that Telstra would hand back part of its assets to the people, when the original privatisation was certainly legal if bad policy.

>>    The effect of this legislation would be to regulate the pricing and
>> (let's hope) interworking of communications infrastructure, and
>> separation of that from businesses offering "retail communications
>> services" (to be defined).  Doing this in a way which avoids
>> legal-technical arguments and evolving obsolescence would be a challenge.
>
> trying to play better monopoly is ridiculous; this society should learn
> some grown up's games, like civilisation - notice that the SMH economist
> Ross Gittins *gets*it* ... it's nice to be rich, but it's nicer to have
> a culture as well, otherwise, what is it all for?

   And which wand are you going to use to effect this magical instant transformation?

   There has been a steady decline in corporate responsibility since the 1970's and Thatcherism, and we've now reached the point where the economy is more important than the society, and a company's only duty is to their shareholders.  Unfortunately the current Howard government appears to approve of this corrupt and debased ethic.

   However this situation will not be fixed overnight while Business wields such power over Government and individuals are focussed on themselves.

   In the mean time, all we can do is create pragmatic legislation which at least moves things in the right direction.

David