It's high time our fourth estate take Australia's national interest seriously and lay off Tabloid sensationalism and mischievousness.... "TELSTRA has been forced to respond to shareholder concerns that senior management's heavy-handed tactics threaten to jeopardise its chance of winning $4.7 billion in taxpayer funding to build a national broadband network......." continued..Courtesy: http://business.smh.com.au/business/telstra-forced-to-publicise-concerns-20081007-4vxf.html

The only company announcement today pertains to the invitation for the Telstra CEO to speak at the FINSIA Exec Luncheon which he eloquently delivered.

The simple reality of the financial system meltdown is that venture capital has dried up. If you you don't already have a proven track record and your business model isn't locked down to the tiniest detail, you simply are not going to get funding. Blue chip companies can't even borrow what's needed to smooth the day to day peaks and troughs so what chance does a new player such as the Optus consortium have?

It's time to bite the bullet and get this show on the road.

Gregory, from the debris emanating from the State of NSW Egan lays down the law on the deployment of the NBN see
http://www.afr.com:80/home/viewer.aspx?ATL://1223436920432§ion=latest&title=National broadband network should be rolled out into bush first - Terria

Sorry mate, we've lost the link. It was an intraday AFR Breaking News item, to do with the usual Egan ravings about.... if Telstra get the go ahead competition is dead and that the NBN should start from the bush end rather that the Cities end etc. Apparently all this was said during a Senate enquiry. be interesting to view the transcript.

It is with extreme admiration that I observe the cool and calculating public utterances of Mr Trujillo in recent days. The absolute imbecillic untruths that Mr Trujillo has had to endure since his arrival in Australia have made me, as a fifth generation Australian, feel thoroughly ashamed. Obviously Sol is made of stronger stuff and intends to continue the engagement until success is attained. What the Australian taxpayer needs to be seriously fearful of, is the fact that Telstra opponents, by cunning manipulation of the NBN request (and without sufficient capital) will cause a disastrous situation to develop should the Rudd Government consider them for the NBN build. Battle on Sol the final victory will be yours, and Australia's.

Sydney, I agree. In the midst of the prevailing decimation of global financial and securities markets, Telstra under the current management team remains an enviable Bastion yet attracts nothing but ridicule by those who should know better. The National Broadband Network project is at risk of becoming a charade before we even start digging the first hole. The content of the following extract Courtesy: SMH page 29 leaves much to be desired.

"Telstra and an Optus-led consortium called Terria are considered the most likely to win the tender. Terria executives pressed their case for the network owner to be independent of retail telco providers such as Optus or Telstra at a senate hearing in Canberra yesterday.

"If Australia gets it wrong, the national broadband network has the potential to wipe out competition in telecommunications, and frankly I think that's been Telstra's game plan all along, Terria's chairman, Michael Egan, told the senate committee."

After a lifetime in business administration I can only shake my head at the conduct of the NBN tendering process exhibited above. In particular, "Terria executives pressed their case for the network owner to be independent of retail telco providers such as Optus or Telstra "!!!! How on earth can they hope to achieve this, since 'Optus' is the leading force in TERRiA. a classic three card trick.

Let us hope the staff who have helped create the wonderful infrastructure we enjoy today will be suitably taken care of in regard to wages.
A shared dream to now pursue a faster broadband network from staff and management will only succeed if staff feel secure in their workplace. Any doubts of wage increases by staff will be an undercurrent affecting performance.
Any effects to install the NBN will be hampered by dissatisfied staff, who require some stability in their financial status.
World events will dictate prices of all commodities, but unless Telstra takes care of it's workforce properly, Sol can forget the $8 billion on offer for this next generation IP network.
Imagine a company we all love, bragging it saved $37 million dollars on a proposed wage package
how do you think it's workforce now feels.
Sad day indeed.

Myles Nicholas an excellently expressed presentation referring to the remuneration delivered to Telstra employees. It would be my hope and desire that Telstra employees would enjoy pay rates superior to those of inferior opposing companies and I am persuaded that this is, and will be the case into the future. It is also true that those employed by Telstra must be good and faithful servants of Telstra so as to allow Telstra the capability to deliver fair and generous pay and conditions as requested by Myles. My advice to Telstra employees, if i may be so presumptuous, would be to support Telstra in its endeavour to obtain the NBN build so as to allow a strong and prosperous Telstra to deliver excellent employment conditions to its employees.

Myles, I concur with your view that staff need to feel secure in their workplace. Surely the way forward is through direct discussions between managers and staff. I was astounded to read that 100 union members, who are also Telstra employees chose misguidedly to use a pathetic section of the Corporation Act to question the Board of Directors current direction which, coincidently, is to protect the company against outmoded regulations, resisting strong calls, by rivals, for Telstra to be split into two separate companies and ultimately steal the NBN contract. The cost of which will be most detrimental to Telstra staff, customers and shareholders.

The penitence per the Corporation Act is for the Company to inform the 1.4 million shareholders of the occurrence and explain its position thereto. I am sure you will agree that we need this distraction and unnecessary expenses like a hole in the head at this most critical time. Also, I find it hard to believe that Telstra would be "bragging it saved $37 million dollars on a proposed wage package" but applaud the method you chose to express your concerns.