John Linton
.....of where the nanny State ends up....or what some people will do and say when they are completely unaccountable.
If you are vaguely involved in some aspect of using telecommunications services you would have undoubtedly read/listened to/seen one of these sorts of reports:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26257131-1702,00.html
I am only using this example because it is electronic and the one I really wanted to use was on page 9 of Saturday's Financial Review. However it will serve the purpose of illustrating my point of where nannyism ends up under the stupidity of all such self serving examples of governmental nonsense. The one statistic that struck me was the claim by Ms O'Donnell that telecommunications services were plunging into the abyss because complaints to the TIO increased from 268,645 to 481,418 over the past year which she was at pains to emphasise (presumably for the innumerate) was an increase of 54% over a twelve month period. Now, even a terminally stupid public servant would have to have taken pause when presented with such a set of numbers before opening her mouth to 'pronounce' on what they mean.
Now Ms O'Donnell, presumably having an IQ above the mid 50s, could have considered whether an increase of 54% in ANY set of numbers could be simply attributed to one simple root cause - in her case the root cause being that the the whole telecommunications industry having become 54% more incompetent over the past 12 months. Now being the sort of person she is (inarguable because of her title) the head of a government entity only has one objective in life - more power, authority and, most of all, more people reporting to her as the principal evidence of her power and authority. Perhaps that is unkind but only the totally stupid person would use such figures to reach the conclusion that Ms O'Donnell reached - and bear in mind in reading her own words in her report she doesn't mention any other reason as contributing in this increase. Of course Stupid Stephen (who didn't get that appellation because he was a Rhodes Scholar) leaped in to add his full support that the telecommunications industry was a disgrace and that the 'gubmant' would "legislate" if massive improvement was not seen immediately. Who knows....perhaps he can make that happen as effectively and as on time as he delivered the 'NBN1'?
So a mid range public servant and the third dumbest member of the current cabinet have unequivocally stated that the telecommunications industry is a disgrace and may require government intervention to fix the current, terrible problems (now - where have I heard that before?). Personally, I wouldn't have thought any human being out of kindergarten would ascribe a single reason to any dramatic change in figures produced by a self serving Australian government entity. Surely, in the event that there was no other reason, the possible reasons that might occur to a person with an IQ of at least Ms O'Donnells level, would have been listed and given a line or two of why they weren't in fact relevant? I can suggest a couple if Ms O'Donnel's very large staff and, of course, her own interrogation of the figures which she must have done before making her emphatic public statements, have failed to reveal them:
1) It entirely in Ms O'Donnel's interests to publicly state how important it is for her 'department' to receive more funding and more personnel - she, therefore, cannot be accepted as a person with a sensible view on why figures change.
2) Over the past year the TIO 'front line personnel' have been specifically instructed to increase the number of 'complaints' they receive by breaching the major premise under which a complaint can be lodged with the sole objective of increasing the revenue received by the TIO.
3) TIO personnel are so inadequately trained they have no idea whatsoever about any technical aspect of any service and accept what they subsequently agree are totally absurd and impossible "problem scenarios" stated by complainants as being 'true' when they subsequently agree that they couldn't possibly have occurred.
4) TIO personnel have become/are so uncaring and irresponsible that they often say "I know I shouldn't have opened a fault but I'm too busy to actually read the complaint".
5) TIO have now resorted to opening Level 2 complaints within 24 hours of opening a Level 1 complaint on the basis that "I took too much time opening the Level 1 fault and as you didn't respond in the time (a customer TIO complaint is dealt with within 30 days of TIO receiving the complaint) I automatically open a Level 2 so my paperwork complies with regulations' - that one really takes your breath away.
There have been such a rapidly increasing number of these issues over the past 12 months that Exetel has sought legal advice on suing the TIO for gross breaches of their own legislated procedures.
So, like all statistics they are closer to adhering to the old saw (there are lies, damn lies and then there are statistics). Ms O'Donnell's figures are worse than "damn lies" they approach total fiction.
PS: I was disappointed that Exetel's TIO complaints increased over the past twelve months by around 38% but I am VERY sure that our complaint handling procedures and speed of handling improved over that period....but then I scrutinise figures on all reports I receive or create with a diligent and questioning mind before taking them in to consideration as providing useful information.