Dear Sir,

I read with interest in your paper Tuesday 6th November, an article in the Features section titled, “All we want is the truth”. The subject of the article seems to suggest that Australian newspapers are not satisfied with the amount of information being shared, a lack of full disclosure and a perceived culture of secrecy in relation to the Newspapers.

This seems some what cynical to me coming from the Australian Newspaper and in voicing my concern I’d like to share a line from the movie A Few Good Men, “you can’t handle the truth”.

Telstra is a company that does give full disclosure and tells the truth. Telstra is a company full of hard working and honest people that bust their gut everyday to do great things. We expect to be questioned, that is only fair and we give the answers proactively and when asked. At our recent Investor Day we opened the doors of our company for 7 hours and gave a full and complete overview of our transformation.

Yet when given the truth, the Australian Newspaper who attended has chosen to not use it at all, in fact the Australian has printed the opposite and added a personal attack on my colleagues and friends. (Michael Sainsbury, AustralianIT, Tuesday 6th November).

I’m afraid you have no sympathy from me if the Australian Government, personalities and/or corporations don’t share their information with you if all your newspaper does is throw it back in their face.

My following protest may only be small however I hope it shows my level of disappointment. I’m and an AFL supporter in QLD and it’s often hard to get any decent coverage in the local papers so from time to time I buy The Australian and more often than not, I visit your internet site which sits in my favorites for the latest updates.

Not any more, your off my readership list.

Ian Cark
25 years Telstra Employee

The Australian is unAustralian

I'm angry.

I'm angry that The Australian has become just another tabloid scratching for half baked stories to publish in the desperate hope that it might strike a chord with a small, ill informed mirnority, looking for a supplementary serve of sensationalist journalism.

I'm angry that your staff seek information through intermediaries, rather than bother to take the time to check their sources and who are determined to undermine the hard work and dedication of the team of people that I have the privilege to work for and with.

I'm angry that in a handful of paragraphs and with your approval, the enormous amount of good work that I and my colleagues have sacrificed family, weekends and long hours over many months to deliver on, is now under scrutiny, and for what? To satisfy a media sales quota, to keep a word count minimum?

I thought we looked after our own and gave those that were doing something good for Australia some positive reinforcement? It's a publicly listed Australian Corporation, governed by laws and policies to ensure that our work is transparent and accurate, so why waste time digging for something that doesn't exist?

Why not use the column space, word count and your intermediaries to report on real issues, like the Government's cheque writing to an overseas carrier to build a parallel broadband network in preference to investing in its part-owned Australian communications business. Or why Government investment in telecommunications in Australia is almost non-existant, yet is preparing to invest almost twice its total investment in Australian business across almost all industries like mining to a business that is based offshore. Surely the majority of your readers would be more interested in these more pressing topics. I know I would be.

The company I'm proud to work for gives me my livelihood, supports my efforts and trusts me to do my job. In return I willingly go to work, I happily make the sacrifice of long hours and weekends and look always for an opportunity to do my job better. I'm proud to work for Telstra and whatever you write or do to try to make it more difficult for me to do this, only makes me more determined to work harder for this Australian Icon.

Up yours! How unAustralian are you!

Stuart Goff
Proud Telstra Employee

Re: Michael Sainsbury article 6th November 2007- Exec's stay on message.

Dear Editor,

I am on the executive team at Telstra. I am proud, committed and passionate about what my organisation is doing for our customers, our staff, our shareholders and our great nation. I was appalled to read the 'Sainsbury' fiction. It was an insult to me and thousands of our staff who have worked tirelessly to deliver, YES DELIVER, our stated strategies with Telstra's transformation. Good journalism is about the facts, the debates and the truths. As Mr Sainsbury says it's about honesty and transparency - practice what you preach Michael... and get your facts right.

Grant Wiltshire
Executive Director
Telstra Country Wide
Victoria and Tasmania

Dear sir,

Michael Sainsbury's article "Telstra revamp behind target" is a miserable piece. It claims that the Telstra transformation is behind target and being overhauled, and IBM has been dumped as the main systems integrator. The source for this beat up is anonymous. It is wrong.

Anyone who reads papers knows the recipe. Hear a rumour from an anonymous source with an axe to grind. Beat rumour into a headline. Put it the to the company which then denies the rumour (and would be legally obliged to inform the market if the rumour were correct). Bury the denial in the bottom paragraph. Voila, the headline for a slow news day is "company in trouble".

What happened to the journalist code of ethics? The code says report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts. Aim to attribute information to its source. Where a source seeks anonymity, do not agree without first considering the source’s motives and any alternative attributable source.

I have not been instructed to send this email and have nothing to do with the IT transformation. I am sending because I understand the game and if I do nothing, the game will continue.

I want to say that Telstra is undertaking a world leading transformation. We are proud that we are building the best network, the best applications, the best service support and the best marketing capability among our global peers.

We are building a world leading telco. What about high global standards for journalism from the Australian?

Yours sincerely
Rob Lomdahl
Telstra

Dear Editor and National Sales Manager

I am a proud hard-working Telstra executive. I'm proud of the transformation and proud of our most recent achievements including world record holding, award winning, brilliant Next G Wireless Broadband. I'm proud of Telstra's Next IP network which had the entire back -catalogue of the National Library downloaded in seconds and I'm proud of the leadership team that is steering the company past idol rhetoric and simple price based marketing into a brilliant media comms company.

To keep ahead of the current issues, I read the Age, and the Financial Review. Every day.

I used to read the Australian.

So that’s one less subscription. To understand why, go see Michael Sainsbury and ask him to show you how, and where he examined the facts around his most recent story on Telstra's transformation. I wouldn’t hang your paper in the smallest room in the house after the dribble he has produced. 'makes the most obnoxious Gonzo journalism seem like grade 2 primary school composition class.

Thanks - but no more.

Richard Butler

Wednesday, 7 November 2007

To The Editor,

I am writing to you to inform you that I have cancelled my subscription to your newspaper based on the inaccurate and fallacious reporting that Michael Sainsbury continues to report regarding Telstra.

His latest article on Transformation is full of inaccuracies and frankly lies. It would appear that the paper condones this behaviour and does not cherish accurate reporting and the truth, I underline the point that Mr Sainsbury fails the test as a quality journalist.

I will never read your paper again and will advocate the sorry state of your journalistic quality to the 10,000 people that work within my organisation. The privilege to express free speech is not above the right to report accurately and to tell the truth, you have failed this test again.

John Rolland
Telstra

Dear Editor

On the 6th of November I read your newspaper for the last time. Far from being a balanced view of the facts Michael Sainsbury's article "Execs stay on message" reflected little if any of the reality that I experience every day as we strive to deliver this ambitious transformation plan.

As a proud Telstra employee I have seen this organisation lift up and start to become all it can be under the leadership and vision of the executive leadership team and am proud to be part of this evolution.

Our transformation and I mean our transformation is a real part of the passion that all of us at Telstra feel.

To challenge our honesty and transparency singles out not any one individual but insults the integrity of every Telstra employee.

Grant Stent
Telstra Employee

Thursday, 8 November 2007

Dear Sir

I refer to your article entitled, "Execs stay on message at gabfest for the telco where nothing ever goes wrong," written by Michael Sainsbury and published in your newspaper dated 6 November 2007.

I have today cancelled my subscription to your newspaper as I can no longer support payment for a publication that reports such unfounded and false commentary.

I am a strong believer in free and responsible media. Newspapers have the awesome power of contributing to the economic growth of a nation by informing the public and promoting debate. An article such as this does neither because as in this case, it is blatantly wrong, deliberately false and misleading with zero credibility.

Telstra attempts to be very transparent in its reporting, disclosing more in terms of business results and customer service outcomes than other corporates. Often because of this, Telstra is irresponsibly criticised and vilified.

Articles such as the above do great harm to investors and to Telstra as a company. I am part of this great company and am offended by The Australian's poor judgment in allowing such reporting to be published.

Newspapers should be bastions of our democratic right to free speech and opinions. The Australian should be upholding the principle of responsible and accountable reporting, not eliminating it.

Alan Olden
Executive Director, Service Delivery East
Telstra Services

Thursday, 8 November 2007

To the Editor of the Australian,

Due to our customer's demands, Telstra is undergoing a transformation from a telephony company to a media communications company.

An enabler in that is the IT transformation that Mr Sainsbury wrote about his inaccurate article on November 6th. I look forward to the transformation of The Australian to an ethical, truth-telling fact based newspaper, which is accountable for its opinions.

Large transformations are characterized by tough staffing decisions, so when you choose to make the Transformation to the Truth, your success should begin with saying goodbye to Mr Sainsbury with incredible gusto and manufactured sincerity, wishing him to "have a great day".

Alan Colvin
Telstra

To The Editor,

I was outraged to read the article by Michael Sainsbury in your newspaper on 6th November 2007.

I am a proud Telstra employee and will not sit quietly when a journalist decides to print inaccuracies and demean the work of thousands of my colleagues. Telstra is currently undertaking the most important Transformation in the history of our organisation. We stand by the commitments we make and have been transparent throughout the process.

We challenge you to name your sources and desist with cowardly reporting. I would question how Michael Sainsbury remains on your payroll after consistent disregard for reporting the truth.

Regards,
John Paitaridis
State Director Victoria,
Telstra Enterprise and Government