Telstra and the Country (1 Viewer)

[Enlightened_One]

I hate to warn people, but did you know Sydney has a population crisis, a water shortage and sky rocketing house prices. So lets all move their and make it worse.

 

[katie_tully]

Oh noes! A water shortage! The poor dears.

 

[loquasagacious]

^ I take it that cooling off is taking a while then?

 

[katie_tully]

Yes. It looks like tomorrow. I'm still trying to vent after the abortion thread.

 

[loquasagacious]

Yes but if we consider the ammount of people in urban and sub-urban australia versus the ammount in rural australia and we consider the costs involved in providing services (costs passed on in the form of taxes). Then perhaps given that urban/sub-urban australia must fund telecommunications for the bush maybe it is better for the population (that is the vast majority) if these services were not provided in the bush.



NOTE: This is deviating from my personal views on the issue in an effort to simplify the issue as a whole and break it down to the pure economics of supply and demand, cost and benefit in an effort in an effort to attain a greater understanding of the issues at play here.

 

[katie_tully]

It's funny that the majority of rural people (generally) vote for the coalition. And to show their thanks, the Government is fucking rural people in the arse, by not upgrading telecommunications services. I hope rural people will learn from their mistakes.

Yeah...because Labor care about the rural people too

 

[katie_tully]

Huh? What are you talking about?

It's funny that the majority of rural people (generally) vote for the coalition. And to show their thanks, the Government is fucking rural people in the arse, by not upgrading telecommunications services. I hope rural people will learn from their mistakes.

. . .

 

[walrusbear]

Yeah...because Labor care about the rural people too

they weren't planning on selling the rest of telstra

 

[Raiks]

they weren't planning on selling the rest of telstra

Only because they aren't in power and it gives them the opportunity to slag off the government about it... isn't that what an opposition is for?

 

[erawamai]

Only because they aren't in power and it gives them the opportunity to slag off the government about it... isn't that what an opposition is for?

But Labor wouldn't have sold Telstra. This just happens to be better for the bush.

 

[mr_shittles]

Only because they aren't in power and it gives them the opportunity to slag off the government about it... isn't that what an opposition is for?

That's so true. Whichever way you look at it, Telstra was going to be privatised. In fact, it was Paul Keating who starting searching for assets to sell. He already made billions from selling off parts of the Commonwealth Bank, CSL and Qantas. Of the three phone companies owned by the Australian government, Keating only privatised AusSat (later renamed Optus), and merged OTS and Telecom into Telstra (because the unions were scared of job losses).

So Telstra will get sold, Labor or Liberal, for the simple fact that there is billions of dollars in taxpayers' capital being tied up in it, instead of being spent on roads, schools, hospitals, etc.

Telstra provides for the rural community, services that it would otherwise not have. Instead of being ungrateful, why can't people like Barnaby Joyce at least say something nice about Telstra for a change. It just gets unfaily hacked at by bungling politicians.

 

[katie_tully]

Telstra provides for the rural community, services that it would otherwise not have. Instead of being ungrateful, why can't people like Barnaby Joyce at least say something nice about Telstra for a change. It just gets unfaily hacked at by bungling politicians.

You're right.
Thank you Telstra. From the bottom of my heart. I cannot find words to thank you enough for the wonderful services you provide us, the rural people with. I mean, we pay our taxes like our city counterparts but I guess we're pretty dumb for expecting basic services.

Thank you Telstra for allowing us to go without a landline telephone for 2 days. Emergency smergecy, I'm petty sure that with our powers of ESP we could like...summon the ambulance or other authorities. That is of course in the case of an emergency.

But most of all Telstra, I thank you for putting up with the whinging of country folk. Yes we simple men and women really do need to learn to appreciate what we've been given....even if it is nothing more than a tin can on the end of a piece of string.

Yours sincerely,
Kate.

 

[erawamai]

http://network.news.com.au/image/0,10114,5020195,00.jpg

http://network.news.com.au/image/0,10114,397581,00.jpg

 

[dimzi]

So Telstra will get sold, Labor or Liberal, for the simple fact that there is billions of dollars in taxpayers' capital being tied up in it, instead of being spent on roads, schools, hospitals, etc.

Thats what I don't get. Telstra has provided the government with untold billions in dividends over the years which have gone into funding those things which you have said, while creating a increase in value of the governments asset.

Selling Telstra will deprive the government of this income, and the value of its stake in Telstra is taking a beating at the moment thanks to those yanks who don't give a shit. They don't realise they are not just hurting the governments back-pocket, not even just the mum and dad investors, but they are hurting every single taxpayer in the country.

I think one of the reasons the government might be so gun-ho to get rid of Telstra is because of the grim outlook for the company. Increased competition and the effect of new technology has already begun to take its toll on Telstra's bottom line, and it will inevitably get worse.
Sure, the government could intervene as the majority shareholder and create a culture of change and force Telstra to evolve to utilise these new technologies and address the increased competition, but we all know thats just too damn hard for little Johnny!

Whenever Telstra is sold, its prime focus will shift soley to profits, and there will be no consumer in Australia who won't feel it, whether they have Telstra as their provider or not.

So in closing, I have this to say:

Barnaby Joyce, go fuck yourself, because next election, you're fucked and so is your shithole of a party.

 

[mr_shittles]

Whether Telstra gets sold or not, its service is not going to improve. Nonetheless arnaby's outrageous theft of $3b of taypayers money is surely an act of extortion.

I'm still waiting for Malcolm Turnbull to set up a fighting fund for those Australian battlers in the city of Sydney still requiring access to blackberries at affordable prices. All I ask for as a Sydneysider is the right to receive the affordable telecommunications services that our competitors in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, London and New York receive. Is that asking for too much?

PLEASE set up a fund for us Malcolm! If Barnaby can do it, surely you can too!

 

[Raiks]

Country people need less telecommunications because they have less people to talk to.

But on a serious note, I don't think the bush will get anything great under any government until economically viable infrastructure exists such as the possibilities of unwired communications (satellite, microwave, etc), and evolves to the point where it's efficent and effective.