One of the great things about having experienced people from elsewhere come in to run an Australian company is that they bring in an 'outsiders' experience. They can spot things that perhaps we locals didn't notice were out of whack. They prompt us to question things that happen just because, "that's the way they've always been" - so they can have a very positive effect in bringing about necessary change.

That's why those of us who've worked at Telstra a long time (and been thrown against brick walls at weekend barbeques because someone has had to wait weeks to get a phone connected) have warm regard for people like Sol Trujillo and the so-called "Three Amigos".

When they eventually go home they will leave the company and Australia in better shape. (It was a proud moment this week when Sol went on CNBC in New York (www.cnbc.com) and told Americans they had third-world mobiles compared to what we have here in Australia. Great stuff.)

It went a lot further in the case of Phil Burgess, who not only spoke out about what was wrong from a Telstra viewpoint, he stepped out the front door and told us what was wrong with the country.

For those of us who know Phil well, we respected that his public contributions came from a position of intelligence, considered thought and love for our country. And so we're prepared to forgive his criticisms and spend some time reflecting on his provoking ideas.

Here's mine.

Sadly Phil departs us at a time when things are looking extremely bleak in terms of the health our major institutions. In particular, our media, our regulators and our government.

The recent uproar over the move by the once-highly regarded Fairfax newspaper group to shed part of its journalistic workforce has exposed how in times of convergence, the old media is on the nose.

Consider the move by management at Fairfax media to set up a website this week similar to this website (fairfaxjustthefacts.com.au), just to try to get their views out to the public. The website accuses the media of "unfair and biased" reporting.

Hello Captain Kirk, what does this say about the accuracy, honesty and ethics of your blessed newspapers and your reporters?

Telstra set up this website because we felt we couldn't get a fair go from our competitors in the Fairfax and Murdoch newspaper duopoly. To borrow the words of the Fairfax CEO this week, the newspapers let 'commercial considerations' get in the way of accurate reporting when it came to Telstra.

Mr Kirk's comments have actually confirmed this is de rigueur at Fairfax - and it likes to see itself above its major competitor when it comes to ethics. So what does this say about the state of our media in general? Okay, we still have the ABC, but witness the cross over in reporting staff between the ABC and Fairfax. It sure rings my alarm bells.

Next comes the regulators and Government. Witness the recent spectacle where taxpayers have had to pay $55 million in compensation (www.abc.net.au) after it was found the regulator in charge of therapeutic medicines unfairly persecuted businessman Jim Selim and ruined his business, Pan Pharmaceuticals. With shareholders of the company now threatening legal action against the Commonwealth, the pain for taxpayers has not ended yet.

This out-of-control regulator sent a successful and reputable private company broke and in doing so, damaged an entire industry, inconvenienced and traumatised thousands of Australians. All without a shred of evidence.

It's a disgrace, but anyone who has had anything to do with the ACCC would know that the sheer incompetence exposed by this episode is par for the course when it comes to Australia's regulators. The fact that the ACCC has made up pricing in the telecommunications industry for more than a decade, thereby undermining investment in the industry, is a case in point.

Of course the Government should keep the bungling bureaucrats in check, but look at what John Howard had to say at the time of the Pan scandal:

"The advice is to listen to what the experts say and the experts are the Therapeutic Goods Agency. People running that are experts, I'm not."

Helen Coonan used to say the same about the ACCC. Talk about a buck pass!

Now we have Kevin 07 promising change for the better, but what hope is there when he reappoints ACCC Chief Graeme Samuel for three more years? This coming straight after Mr Samuel threw his weight behind the Government's feel-good grocery inquiry (www.theaustralian.news.com.au) and much-lampooned "fuel watch website". It's what I call a 'Deidre Chambers' coincidence.

Not a good look, but does anyone really care?

I'll leave you with one thought. Note the big difference between this website and Mr Kirk's. Here you can leave a comment, even criticise me or Telstra. There is no space to do that on Mr Kirk's "Just the Facts" website. Two-way communication is a foreign concept in the old media. No wonder Fairfax is struggling in this fast moving world.