27 January 2004 - Media Release

Humphries ‘Nation Building’ hypocrisy

Senator Humphries has clearly forgotten that it is his Government which has systematically attacked our national icons, stripping $8 million from the budgets of the National Gallery, the National Archives and the National Museum and with it 31 jobs in 2003-04 alone.

It is the Howard Government which advocated the tearing apart of ScreenSound, the Howard Government which has deliberately under funded the National Museum at levels it was warned would jeopardise its viability.  It is Senator Humphries who has sat by and watched his Government wage a war on culture which goes straight to the heart of our national identity.

It is the Howard Government who refused to give the extra $7.3 million required to help in the rebuilding the world renowned Mt Stromlo Observatory.  What is Senator Humphries position on this?

It is the Howard Government who are preparing to trade away to the United States Australian local content rules for film and television and our ability to regulate for new media and the audiovisual sector in the future and will do so in despite Australian feature film production having plunged by one-third in 2002-03. 

And all this at a time when one-third of practising Australian Artists are living in poverty, with 50% of artists earning less than $7,300 from their art a year.  

Senator Humphries can grandstand all he likes about support for the arts and culture, but the fact is that the Howard Government has done nothing but seek to undermine and politicise our national icons and the arts community. 

The Howard Government does not have a plan for the Arts it has a blueprint for the expression of John Howard’s definition of Australian Heritage and Culture. 

Senator Humphries is yet another foot soldier in the war on culture and nothing more.

Contact: Adina Cirson - (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

27 January 2004 - Media Release

NOIE’s nine lives have run out

Labor's decision to shut down the National Office of the Information Economy (NOIE) as a savings measure is justified because the Howard Government has never been able to deliver an effective and efficient role for the Office despite the dramatic changes and challenges associated with the information economy.

The National Office of the Information Economy has had a controversial existence since its inception. It has drifted in and out of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts through-out the period of the Howard Government. This demonstrates a lack of leadership and direction from the Minister for IT (Senator Alston until recently, now Darryl Williams) for the Office and its role.

When NOIE was first created it was a belated response to the challenges for Australian society and economy presented by e-commerce and the internet: issues which the Howard Government had to be pushed into even acknowledging after they were elected in 1996.

Since then, the Howard Government has failed to address some of the important challenges for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, including local industry development, ICT purchasing policy, effective internet content management strategies, closing the digital divide, promoting broadband, privacy and security, increasing small business and community use of the internet as well as co-ordinated, efficient and effective online services. These policy failings are despite having a well-funded office like NOIE.

NOIE has tried to be a 'support agency' to other departments on IT related matters, but even in this role it is handicapped with no real capacity to influence decision making given the lack of political leadership.

Even now, the Howard Government has the policy and program management of IT issues confronting citizens and businesses, as well as the ICT industry development-related matters spread across at least three departments and agencies, including NOIE, DoCITA and the Department of Industry Tourism and Resources.

Labor believes there is a better way to manage these important issues.

Contact: Adina Cirson - (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

24 January 2004 - Media Release

ScreenSound Saga Continues

I have finally had the opportunity to meet with the Australian Film Commission (AFC) after initially requesting the meeting five weeks ago at the height of the dispute. It has taken this long for the Arts Minister to approve this meeting.

I requested the following of the AFC:

The AFC indicated that they would agree to any request for additional consultation.

The AFC agreed to consider this proposal.

This was not agreed to, so I am formally writing to the Minister requesting that specific sections of the paper, which relate to these issues be removed.

This is important because if these so-called ‘proposals’ were strong enough to sack people, they certainly must be removed from the Directions Paper where they contradict the commitments given by the Howard Government and the AFC on 17 December 2003.

I intend to further pursue these issues at the Senate Estimates in February.

Media contact: Adina Cirson - (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

16 January 2004 - Media Release

Fight for ScreenSound far from over

Despite assurances given in December by the Howard Government that there would be an open and constructive discussion of the Australian Film Commission’s Directions paper, it would seem that the AFC is trying to limit and manipulate the consultation process with stakeholders and ScreenSound Staff.

We have been advised that staff have been organised into groups of 20 and will have only one opportunity in the ‘formal’ consultation process to put forward their concerns. Providing staff with an orchestrated, one-off, opportunity to contribute is inadequate and not acceptable.

The AFC is conducting this consultation process on its own terms and has told staff that they have only until the end of today to advise of any external stakeholders who should be ‘invited’ by the AFC to contribute to the supposed ‘open’ discussion.

The Howard Government’s decision not to hold open and public forums on the Directions paper which effectively advocates the dismantlement of ScreenSound is a disgrace, and proves just how flimsy the earlier commitments were.

In fact, the Directions paper, which caused outrage in the community and across the nation, still contains all the original recommendations. The paper has not been altered to reflect any of the commitments given by the Howard Government.

If these so called ‘proposals’ were strong enough to sack people, then any reference to the abolition or relocation of positions must certainly be removed from the Directions Paper as per the commitments given by Senator Humphries on behalf of the Howard Government.

I call on the Howard Government to conduct a proper and public consultation process providing staff with a series of opportunities to have their concerns voiced and heard and for external stakeholders to be able to freely contribute to the process. Anything short of an open and public debate is unacceptable.

Over 1000 people have already signed the petition against the dismantlement of ScreenSound, and I urge people to continue to sign the petition. Copies of the Petition are available from my office or at www.katelundy.com.au and should be received by mail or in electronic format only (no faxes please) no later than 31 January 2004.

Media contact: Adina Cirson - (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

16 January 2004 - Joint Media Release

Humiliating Backdown for Costello On Telstra IT Jobs

Peter Costello has been forced into a humiliating backdown over his comments regarding Telstra’s deal with IBM to send 450 Australian IT jobs to India.

On Wednesday, Mr Costello said, “I think that wherever possible those jobs ought to be located in Australia. Telstra ought to look at the situation carefully, they have to have a very good reason to show that they can’t find adequate Australian employment opportunities and Australians to fill them.”

After Labor revealed yesterday that the Government had been informed of Telstra’s off-shore outsourcing plans in September, Peter Costello went to ground. His office reportedly refused to take calls on Telstra. The only office that would take calls on Telstra, Daryl Williams’, said the outsourcing contracts were ‘commercial matters for Telstra and IBM’. The real position of the Howard Government was finally flushed out.

Two days after Peter Costello’s meaningless ramble on Telstra we now know the Government’s real position. The Howard Government long ago gave Telstra the green light for moving Australian IT jobs offshore. The Government is only concerned about fattening Telstra up for privatisation and doesn’t care if the Australian IT industry is gutted in the process.

Labor believes that with monopoly comes responsibility. Telstra is still a majority publicly owned company, earns huge profits and dominates the telecommunications industry. The Howard Government’s green light for Telstra’s overseas outsourcing deals is a national disgrace that flies in the face of the national interest.

For further information contact Lindsay Tanner or Peter van Vliet on
(03) 9347 5000 or 0408 188 055 or Kate Lundy on (02) 6277 3334.

15 January 2004  - Media Release

Howard Government IT outsourcing debacle spiralling towards a $1 billion-dollar blow-out

The most recent count of the waste of taxpayer’s money as a result of the Howard Government's IT outsourcing debacle is closing in on $1 billion dollars.

The Financial Review reported today the cost above the original contracts is around $750m over the life of the contracts. With several of the contracts still continuing this amount will inevitably rise.

The Howard Government lied to Australians when it promised that their style of IT Outsourcing would SAVE taxpayers $1 billion dollars in 1996. The reality is that nearly $1 billion will be LOST.

The Howard Government's IT outsourcing debacle involved Government agencies and departments 'clustered' together to form highly prescriptive, inflexible mega-contracts worth millions of dollars.

At the time, international evidence and experience indicated that this type of outsourcing would inevitably cost far more, and service quality would drop.

Seven years later, taxpayers are paying through the nose for the ill-conceived, damaging style of outsourcing the Howard Government knowingly engaged in.

In addition, large multinational corporations have reaped the profits from these contracts while competitive Australian companies, with a few exceptions, been left out in the cold.

Media contact: Adina Cirson - (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

15 January 2004 - Joint Media Release

Costello Must Come Clean on Telstra IT Outsourcing

Peter Costello must stop playing the blame game and come clean on the Howard Government’s involvement in Telstra’s deal with IBM to send 450 Australian IT Jobs to India. Peter Costello’s musings on Telstra keeping jobs in Australia disguise the fact that the Government gave Telstra the green light to proceed with these plans months ago.

The Australian Financial Review reported in September last year that Telstra had fully briefed the Howard Government on IT outsourcing programs. They also quoted a Howard Government Spokesperson as saying that Telstra’s plans were simply a business decision.

The Howard Government, as majority shareholder in Telstra, gave Telstra the green light months ago to send hundreds of IT jobs offshore through Telstra’s outsourcing arrangements. The Government’s sole agenda is to fatten Telstra up for privatisation. It simply doesn’t care if Telstra guts Australia’s IT industry in the process.

Peter Costello must come clean and admit exactly what the Government knew about Telstra’s IT outsourcing plans in September last year. He must also explain to the Australian public why the Government has done and continues to do absolutely nothing to keep these jobs in Australia.

For further information contact Lindsay Tanner or Peter van Vliet on (03) 9347 5000 or 0408 188 055, or Kate Lundy on (02) 6277 3334.

14 January 2004 - Joint Media Release

Telstra's 450 IT Jobs Slash Not in the National Interest

Reports today that Telstra has struck a deal with IBM to send 450 local IT jobs to India are of serious concern.

Telstra is majority publicly owned and still largely a monopoly. Its activities are at the heart of the Australian Information Technology sector. It makes around 90% of the profits in the Australian telecommunications sector. With the privileges of monopoly come responsibilities. For Telstra to do a deal with IBM to outsource these jobs flies in the face of the national interest.

The Australian IT sector just cannot afford to lose 450 skilled jobs to India. Reports that Telstra plans to send 1500 jobs offshore in the next few years are even more disturbing.

Yet again the Howard Government is allowing Telstra to behave like a fully privatised monopoly, free of national interest objectives. The Howard Government is happy for Telstra to milk Australians with higher line rental prices while sending key IT jobs overseas.

Labor wants Telstra back on the job-providing decent telecommunications services and using its huge economic power to support the Australian information economy.

Communications Minister Daryl Williams must make a stand for the Australian economy and ask Telstra to rethink this disastrous decision.

For further information contact Lindsay Tanner or Peter van Vliet on (03) 9347 5000 or 0408 188 055, or Kate Lundy on (02) 6277 3334.