I know it’s not popular to admit this but I am a relatively satisfied NBN customer.
My shiny new NBN was perfect for around three months and my router proudly beamed without fail for three months. That’s when the drop-outs started. The net and VOIP delivered fixed line phone services would unexpectedly stop. More often than not it was for a couple of minutes, sometimes for a couple of hours although to be fair this was rare. The drop-outs were occurring a dozen times a day or more.
Then the blame game commenced. Telstra advised the dropouts were due to errors made by NBN in installation. NBN said it was Telstra. Technicians of both persuasions were dispatched to my home, to the node and God knows where else but still the drop-outs occurred.
While Telstra didn’t let on, the drop-outs almost certainly were down to it, purchasing bandwidth inadequate for its customers. Just as easily I could lay the blame at NBN’s wholesale pricing model which it says it is fixing.
After several gruelling hours on the telephone the problems were solved. Telstra initially billed me for the technician call out fees but after some abrupt instruction from me, apologies were issued and the charges withdrawn. Ultimately two month’s worth of broadband was credited from my account to boot.
Full column here.
Nowhere near the bottom yet, but will be a lot closer by dinnertime today.
Best keep scraping.
Just wondering, in the meantime, if ‘proper’ action is made more so by the cachet “entirely”. I suggest it isn’t, quite, and would have benefited by the additional larding of “very, very” and, of course, “absolutely”. But, as we will find out to our disgust, the day is young.
Cynicism aside, it is a very valid question: why is there an inability on the part of the federal government to effect serious reforms; to develop national projects that don’t get killed off (or at least seriously maimed) in the cross-fire of partisan politics and election campaigns; to deliver cogent and cohesive policy platforms that have enough time to develop without being either aborted or otherwise adopted at such ruinous cost that their benefits become moot?
Each side blames the other. Whether it is industrial, energy, environmental, communication, welfare, defence or any other sort of policy, the flurry of finger-pointing and blame-shifting becomes more and more frenzied, between the federal adversaries and between Canberra and the State capitals.
My theory – related (OK, ranted about) before – is that Canberra is trying to do too much. The relentless expansion of Commonwealth programs and the adoption of the idea that there is no problem that Canberra cannot solve, means that there are literally not enough hours in the day for Commonwealth ministers to get on top of their brief. This allows the bureaucracy, full of self-important empire-builders, to run amok without adequate supervision. It also accords special-pleaders – including the State governments – with resources to do their special pleading with disproportionate influence. The federal government has become nothing much more than a tsunami of cash being thrown at a mountain of problems that are barely visible in a fog of nonsense, let alone understood.
Every serious political commentator in this country, from Kevin Rudd to Tony Abbott, has talked about the dysfunction of the federation but none have really come up with a solution.
Here’s my solution: stick to your knitting, you f*****g idiots!
Yep – the power grab by Canberra increasingly shows up their inability to cope with the complexities of dealing with the diversity presented by each individual state.
And it’s not just the States, mate – it gets down to the local council level.
I read an op-ed piece in the Herald Sun yesterday from Robert Doyle, Melbourne’s Lord Mayor. It was about the homeless problem in Melbourne and what was being done. He couldn’t resist chucking in what seems now to be an obligatory statement about having talked with the PM about the situation and that they had agreed the issue needed to be dealt with in a nationally coordinated fashion.
WHY!?!?! What the hell do homeless people and beggars in Melbourne’s CBD have to do with Canberra or any of the other cities? Why can’t Mr Doyle and his councillors and the police and the State bodies involved do what they’re getting paid handsomely to do without making it a federal issue? Why does EVERY DAMN PROBLEM in the country need the attention of the PM? Christ knows, the feds are struggling to get even their own core Constitutional business under control without having to be worrying about every local governance issue in the country!
The federation is broken. It has BEEN broken by politicians at every level who don’t understand how a federal system is supposed to work. Instead of three tiers of government with distinct responsibilities we just have this great mung-pile of bureaucracy and rules in which nobody takes responsibility for anything and nothing gets done unless everybody everywhere agrees about everything all the time or the universe ends, whichever comes first.
I am sick to death of the whole lot of them.
Way too long, TBLS. Summarise, buddy.
I have a long standing arrangement with a mate to meet at a cafe/pub to watch first balls of test series.
The upcoming one is the Ashes. Why the heck do the associations allow the sponsor’s names to come first? It is now the “Magellan Ashes”? I work in and support private enterprise/capitalism, but the thought of the sleazy sponsors relaxing in their boxes drinking full strength beer and quality wine whilst the true supporters have to drink mid strength swill and cask crap makes me want to throw up.
Naming rights. Worth a fortune in this instance to Cricket Australia. Keeps the game in good health too. Not all bad.
Who is Magellan?
Name one government in Australia that is traveling well.
Incumbency is tough anywhere and the rule now is one term governments.
2017 a shocker of a year for our weak PM Turnbull, Mr insider, but do predict 2018 will indeed be his “annus horribilis”. Turnbull’s failed PMship has never seen a “annus mirabilis”. Be off with you chappie I say.
Geez wraith, methinks that poor guy has been trotted out before.
Maybe he’s just totally incompetent. 😨
I rarely read Andrew Bolt and even more rarely agree with him. But he is spot on today regarding the Government using Royal Commissions and the AFP to attempt to destroy their political opponents. In fact, I would go further than him. It’s bordering on a contempt for the separation of powers, which is one of the bedrocks of democracy. John Howard, a wiser man than Abbott or Turnbull, was critical of the pink batts RC. As he pointed out, the electorate had already made its judgement. There is a pattern here that is looking increasingly malevolent and vindictive. It’s really not a good look for Australian democracy.
QANTAS club has very good internet service this afternoon.
I prefer the business lounge. Mind you Sydney’s is below par. Surprisingly Brisbanes is very civilised.
Hi Dismasted,
Is that tongue in cheek? Given your history of comments I would gather that the QANTAS Club is a place that you would not admit to entering, but given your leaning leanings I suppose that you have no guilt in using?
Well QANTAS Business lounge actually as pointed out by Arthur above. Man when you travel half the time you have to utilise the facilities available.
Our most excellent national carrier.
Given your pressing concerns about Telstra, I’m sure they would have pulled out all the stops and had Telstra “free airport WiFi” technicians on standby to ensure you had the very best service whilst in the area.
If your internet service allows this cartoon is very good.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/26/are-you-suggesting-the-afp-has-an-agenda-look-at-all-the-people-it-hasnt-raided
We need a federal ICAC now. this government is corrupt and has to be held accountable. While it is allowed to and encouraged by sections of the media to attack anyone who dares try to hold it to account they are taking away the democracy this country has worked to develop. This government and its supports are failing this nation.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/26/australian-ministers-write-to-china-to-confirm-approval-of-carmichael-mine