Friday 11th April 1997
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Issues - timed calls for Internet use.See which Senators voted timed calls in. Tell Communications Minister, Senator Alston how you feel about timed calls.
This US link has a number of interesting angles on Kerry Packer - but it also shows why the two media barons (Packer and Murdoch) protect each other....
Not so lucky is Independent Senator Mal Colston who is now in a Brisbane hospital yesterday in "a poor medical condition" after the Australian media staked out his home for several days. A Sydney newspaper even hired a cherry picker so that it could get a better picture of his home. Now can you imagine what would happen if the same was tried on Kerry Packer?
Seriously here you have two well publicised sets of allegations. Packer's makes Colston's look like a kid stealing candy from the school tuck shop.... yet compare the treatment the media hands out to them. What a great democracy we have - and Packer wants to buy Fairfax?
Queensland State Premier Rob Borbidge yesterday warned Prime Minister John Howard that relations between the state and the Federal Government are in danger of plumeting - siting Wik as the reason. He said that a lot of political blood had been spilt over Wik and the gun laws.
"If the Prime Minister lets us down on this, my working relationship with him is over, full stop," Mr Borbidge said.
John Howard's a good friend of mine, I've spilt a lot of political blood for him.
"It cost me politically, it's cost my Government enormously, and I would expect that an issue as important to Queensland as Wik and native title, that the Prime Minister would respond accordingly."
Borbidge predicted that Howard would face "electoral devastation across large parts of Australia" if its reaction to the High Court's Wik decision was "inadequate".
It is understood that Aboriginal leaders are meeting with Howard next week to put their final position on Wik to him. His response is unlikely to satisfy either the farmers or the Aborigines. In fact the timing of the launch of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party could not be beterr for the Australian nation. We need a new vision.
And I would be very surprised if Liberal Senator Bill O'Chee is not a short term convert... yesterday he said that Aborigines should give back the Au$1.1 billion land fund that the tax payers of Australia gave them.
Yesterday she appeared in the Ipswich Magistrate's Court and was cross-examined in relation to three Aboriginal boys accused of assaulting and spitting at her.
The trial of the boys will take place on May 6th - with strict bail conditions applying in the meantime. One of the three children also appeared on five separate charges which included assault causing bodily harm, wilful damage and break and enter - all unrelated to the Hanson incident.
Yesterday we had the leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley, doing a whirlwind tour of Brisbane to "listen, learn and eat humble pie".
He went to all the right places his over-weight frame being driven in chauffered tax-paid luxury to places like a Meals on Wheels stop off in Wynnum, pensioners in Cleveland, Chinese community leaders in Sunnybank, children in Inala and finally to have a drink with ALP members at the Greenbank RSL.
Excuse my skepticism but that trip had just one target in mind a photo opportunity for which the self-seeking Beazley will do just about anything.
Well Beazley got his photo opportunity on page 5 of today's Courier Mail a lovely picture of him leaning on a wooden picket fence, which covers his extended waistline, talking to a young girl of about 10 years... with a sickly political smile, that has taken years of practise, on his face.
Perhaps Beazley's own words sum up the main reason for his little Brissie run around, "There's no way I'm being photographed shovelling food in my mouth," he said to the Courier Mail photographer accompanying him while eating a Chinese banquet.
Oh and there was the feelgood comment, "Sometimes I get so desperate to see some cricket I'll even go and watch kids playing in the local park"..... yeah and pigs really do fly!
Extensive political commentary and links can be found on Palmer's Australian Politics page.
Legislation recently passed by the Federal Government threatens to substantially increase the cost of your Internet Service due to the possible introduction of timed local calls.
On 25 March 1997, the Australian Parliament passed the Telecommunications Bill which opens the way for Telstra to charge for timed local calls.
Our research has shown that our own strong concerns about timed local calls is shared by many Internet Service Providers and users, and we urge you to help us protest accordingly.
We are advised that a number of reasons for the possible introduction of timed local calls are being circulated. One is that timed local calls will increase the revenue of Telstra and therefore make it a more attractive investment for foreign telecommunications giants when it is privatised.
Another is that by imposing increased costs on Internet Service Providers, some of whom could be expected to go out of business, Telstra will further expand its own Internet service (Big Pond).
As an initiative of the Ipswich City Council, it is impossible for GIL to become involved in either of these arguments, but the bottom line is that if timed local calls are introduced, you will be disadvantaged. Timed local calls to GIL will result in additional charges by Telstra to GIL. This will inturn require reassessment of our pricing matrix which may result in increased subscriber access costs. It is possible that many current Internet users will not be able to afford Internet access after the introduction of timed local calls.
This scenario severely affects every individual user of the Internet, but has the potential to be even more damaging for business users. As businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on the Internet, costs will be driven up, and inevitably jobs will be lost. Even some of the smaller operators among Australia’s 470 Internet Service Providers may be jeopardised by this move.
As for rural and persons with disabilities, who are now beginning to benefit from the Internet to reduce the impact of isolation, the costs will be untenable. Distance education services provided by the Internet will also be vastly more expensive.
There can be no doubt that any introduction of timed local calls will cause disadvantage and hardship in our community. We must put a stop to this now!
Obviously, GIL has been constantly lobbying politicians from every level of government, and whilst this course of action helps the cause in a major way, there is no better way of getting a message through to the government, than sheer weight of numbers, and this is where you can help to fight against the proposed introduction of timed local calls. What can you do?
Sign this Petition Letter, Sign this email letter, and email to the address show. Petitions are required by Parliamentary process to be tabled in Parliament, so your voice will be heard at the highest level, but we all must sign to register our protest.
Petition Letter:
Dear (name)
I am an internet user and I am gravely concerned that the Telecommunications Bill passed by Federal Parliament on 25 March 1997 foreshadows the introduction of timed local calls. I believe that if timed local calls are introduced the cost of Internet access will be blown out of proportion, and that many of the one million Australians who currently use the Internet will be disadvantaged.
I strongly urge you to fight this decision on behalf of all Australians. I am a voter and this issue may have a direct bearing on my vote at the next election.
Yours sincerely,
Write to your local member of Federal Parliament Demand that the bill be repealed, or that the untimed local call option be available to all.
(Click here for a list of MPs and Senators - this second page has since been removed.... because of traffic and complaints related to this issue).
Inform the media
Tell your friends and colleagues, write to newspapers and call talkback radio stations (ie letter to the editor, calling radio station managers etc) eg:
QFM 106.9 Tel: (07) 3201 6000
The Queensland Times 260 Brisbane St., West Ipswich Q 4305
The Ipswich Advertiser 331 Brisbane St., West Ipswich Q 4305
The Satellite/Weekly Times 83 Spine St., Sumner Park Q 4074
The Courier Mail PO Box 130, GPO Brisbane Q 4001
Quest Newspapers Cnr Shand & Byth St,. Stafford Q 4053
4BC Radio Tel: (07) 3831 1311
4QR Radio Tel: (07) 3377 5222
4KQ Radio Tel: (07) 3394 1777
Call Telstra Customer Complaints
You can call Telstra on 1800 011 333 (FREECALL) to lodge complaints with their service. Tell them what you think about the threatened introduction of timed local calls.
Contact Telecommunications Minister, Senator Alston
Senator Alston, the architect behind the changes, is contactable by Telephone: (06) 277 7480, Fax: (06) 273 4154, Postal Address: Suite MG70, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600
Contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
Telephone: 1800 062 058,
Postal Address: PO Box 18098, Collins Street East,
Melbourne VIC 3000.
Contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Telephone: (07) 3835 4666 Postal Address: Regional Director, PO Box 10048, Adelaide Street, Brisbane Q 4000
Here are some links to additional sites on the issue:
Please remember to sign and send the petition letter attached.
Regards,
Councillor Paul Pisasale
Chairperson of Economic Development and Global Info Links Committee
Ipswich City Council.
Queensland
Australia
Have a great day.
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