bush cries grow over telstra

I have some sympathy for this guy. I have felt for a long time that the decline in the voice of the bush in government was a bad thing. My reason is that Australia is a huge country and we all live on the edge and in cities and the cities have no idea what it is like out there in the outback. Yet those guys out there in the wilderness are our life blood. If the farmer in this story did not produce wheat and sheep and sell them overseas, and if the iron and gold miners out there did not dig it up and export it then those city shysters driving around in their BMWs would not be able to buy the new model when it comes out. Something should be done to make sure these guys have good communications as a priority for the whole country.

Regards

Bush cries grow over Telstra
By Belinda Tasker
May 13, 2005
From: AAP
BOB Barnett has just been forced to sell half of his cattle herd because of the drought, but it's not just the forces of nature he has to contend with to run his business. It's Telstra.

Like many in rural and regional areas, the 64-year-old cattle and wheat farmer worries about the future of Telstra and telecommunications services in the bush.
And no wonder. It can take up to an hour to send just one email from his home computer using its dial-up internet connection.

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In fact, it's faster for him to drive 20 minutes to his daughter's home in the town of Narromine and use her computer, which is connected to a high-speed ADSL network and sends email in seconds.

And when his home phone conks out because of storms he has to stand on the roof of his house to get reception for his mobile.

Mr Barnett, who is also the mayor of the western NSW shire of Narromine, says his problems are not uncommon.

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello added to Mr Barnett's woes this week with plans to tip the $34 billion the government stands to collect from Telstra's sale into the government's new Future Fund to pay public servants' superannuation.

"I'm less than impressed and I'm glad he's not running my business," Mr Barnett said.

Mr Barnett, who says he is non-partisan when it comes to politics, believes Nationals leader John Anderson has a better idea – use part of the $34 billion to improve telecommunication services in the bush.

"There's a tremendous amount that needs to be done," Mr Barnett said.

"We need a timeframe (for when the technology will be improved in the bush) and a commitment that it's going to happen. We shouldn't have to fight for these things.

"If the bush becomes a second or third world area for services, young people won't wear it. They'll walk away."

Both Mr Anderson and deputy Nationals leader Mark Vaile tried to reassure their party this week the bush would not be forgotten when it comes to deciding what to do with the $34 billion.

But a battle is brewing within the coalition over the issue, with Prime Minister John Howard saying Mr Costello's idea to plough the money into the government's new Future Fund was logical.

Finance Minister Nick Minchin has also hinted that once the $34 billion is in the fund it could be used to buy shares, ironically, in Telstra.

Nationals senator-elect and outspoken critic of Telstra's sale, Barnaby Joyce, says Mr Costello's plan goes against his party's policy of having a large slice of the $34 billion being spent on regional infrastructure.

Mr Joyce, whose support the government needs to get its Telstra sale plan through the Senate, said there was no reason why country towns should not have access to phone and internet services available in cities.

"Costello has every right in the world to enunciate his position but it really comes down to the Nationals representing their state conferences," he said.

"We have to have something on the table if they want to sell Telstra and there's a whole range of things they could put on the table."

Some regional councils have begun taking charge of their own destiny instead of waiting for the government to ensure they have adequate phone and internet services.

Labor senator Stephen Conroy, who is part of a Senate committee inquiring into whether telecommunications regulations need to be tightened, said some councils were pooling their resources to get the phone and internet services they need.

"I'd have to say in the regional and rural areas they get it – they understand that if we don't get this right now they are going to be left behind and they're going to be disadvantaged as opposed to metropolitan areas," he said.

"And that's why this is such a passionate debate for the National party."

National Farmers Federation president Peter Corish also feels passionate about services in the bush, saying the government must make money available to ensure they match those in the city.

"If Australia's agricultural and rural communities are going to be able to compete and operate in an every increasing global market place, long-term state of the art technology is going to be crucial for us," he said.

"But also it's important to note that a lot of problems associated with services and repair times also should be addressed and that the infrastructure is ageing."

Back at Mr Barnett's property, he is dreaming of high-speed broadband internet connections and reliable phone services.

"If the National party don't do their job in the coalition it's going to be a disaster," he said.