Telstra inquiry: we lose
The federal government, which wants to sell the remaining 50.1% of Telstra, announced an inquiry into Telstra service levels on March 19.
The inquiry is chaired by Tim Besley, who headed the Commonwealth Bank when it was being privatised. The other members are Jane Bennett, an adviser to the federal government, and a reputedly "flexible" former National Party parliamentarian, Ray Braithwaite.
The inquiry will not hold public hearings. What we will learn about the inquiry will be what it chooses to tell us.
It is clear that this body's assessment of Telstra's service will be what the government wants to hear: a justification for privatising the rest of the massively profitable telecommunications company.
If the inquiry says service is good, the legal imposition of service obligations on Telstra will be seen to have worked and the sale can proceed. If the inquiry's findings are ambiguous or damning — the most likely outcome, since the Australian Communication Authority has already found that Telstra fails to meet required standards for work such as new phone connections — the government will say public ownership fails to ensure good services, and the sale will still go ahead.
Either way, the people of Australia lose.