blog Through the judicious application of investigative journalism techniques, The Australian newspaper has uncovered a shocking fact: NBN Co’s head of government relations Mike Kaiser appears to be spending much of his time speaking to government figures such as independent MP Tony Windsor.

The shocking truth:

“Documents obtained under Freedom of Information by The Australian show more than 40 emails were exchanged between Mr Kaiser and the office of Mr Windsor between September last year and July.”

The emails, apparently, related to the disturbing issue of how Windsor is helping his constituents understand details of Labor’s flagship National Broadband Network project better.

Frankly, Australia, I applaud The Australian for their efforts here in helping to uncover this complete misuse of public money. Mike Kaiser should be ashamed that he is spending his time communicating with government figures and their stakeholders. Hasn’t this executive got anything better to do? The Government should immediately hold a public inquiry so that the nation can discover the true depths to which Kaiser has gone in perverting the NBN project, and whether this abuse of his role has anything to do with his recent promotion to head of quality at NBN Co.

I’m appalled. And I can only get down on one knee and thank God that we had The Australian to uncover this issue. Who knows what would have happened if this disaster hadn’t been exposed.

Related posts:

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2. NBN Co hires music anti-piracy chief
3. ‘Financial gap’ opens up in Telstra NBN talks
4. NBN Co opens peace talks with Simon Hackett
5. ‘We’re making history’: Govt on NBN launch

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1. Gwyntaglaw
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 12:11 pm | Permalink | Reply

   You have perfectly captured my level of shock, disbelief and outrage at this news, as well.

   Just like when the Coalition (and their News Ltd sidekicks) fire off hundreds of questions asking NBN Co for every irrelevant detail, and then complain about the amount of time that NBN Co staff spend performing tasks other than their core business… like answering hundreds of questions.

   Grief.

2. Simon Reidy
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 12:24 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Thank God we have completely fair and balanced, non-biased media outlets like The Australian to bring outrageous stories like this to our attention. Fancy Windsor wasting time educating people about the benefits of a ubiquitious high speed fibre network for all Australians!! Quite frankly I’m appalled and disgusted and probably completely outraged as well.

3. Renai LeMay
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 12:40 pm | Permalink | Reply

   I love you guys :)

4. GG
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 1:04 pm | Permalink | Reply

   It’s even more shocking because it’s the head of government relations. Have these people no understanding of how corporate structures are supposed to work?

5. Gwyntaglaw
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 1:24 pm | Permalink | Reply

   And here’s the Day 2 story:

   “Documents obtained under Freedom of Information by The Australian show more than 40 emails were exchanged between Mr Kaiser and the office of Mr Windsor between September last year and July.”

   What? 40 e-mails over 10 months? Why… that’s an average of one e-mail per week! That’s scandalous! Staff spending all their time – e-mailing each other back and forth. Not just monthly, like civilised and responsible human beings, but weekly! When ever do they find time to get any real work done?

6. Pho-alain
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 2:20 pm | Permalink | Reply

   This is a disgusting waste of tax payer money, they should have a royal commision into this!

7. Anonymous
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 2:34 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Added to the Hall of Shame

   http://delimiter.com.au/forum/national-broadband-network/121-hall-shame.html

   • alain
     Posted 23/09/2011 at 1:57 pm | Permalink | Reply

     Don’t forget to add this to your self indulgent ‘Hall of Shame’.

     http://www.itnews.com.au/News/272657,nbn-committee-stalls-after-rollout-data-withheld.aspx

     Oh that’s right it’s only a biased agenda driven pro-NBN myopic forum – anti-Coalition stuff only.

     • Anonymous
       Posted 23/09/2011 at 2:09 pm | Permalink | Reply

       This thread topic is an index for articles from “journalists” or politicians who in an attempt to deride the NBN for political reasons end up embarrassing themselves instead.

       Let see…

       Was there an attempt to deride the NBN for political reasons in the article? False.
       Did Ry Crozier embarrass himself? False.
       Was everything in the article based on facts and not based on conjecture and unsubstantiated claims? True.

       So yeah, it doesnt end up in the Hall of Shame… News at 11.

       Oh that’s right it’s only a biased agenda

       You cant call me biased. I have no agenda, the thread is there simply to highlight biased articles with an agenda about the NBN. It’s like “Media Watch”. I am unbiased when adding biased articles to the thread.

       • alain
         Posted 23/09/2011 at 5:11 pm | Permalink | Reply

         “You cant call me biased. I have no agenda,”

         That’s why 100% of your comments are pushing the NBN rollout and 100% against Coalition policy, across many websites not just this one.

         ” I am unbiased when adding biased articles to the thread.”

         So there is no such thing as a pro-NBN article or anti-Coalition policy article that is not biased or incorrect with the facts, they don’t exist in your little closeted world of your own creation.

         There is plenty out there of course but that’s ok, it’s just a matter of turning your back to them – easy.

         I love your little rider which itself sets up the agenda and the bias.

         “This thread topic is an index for articles from “journalists” or politicians who in an attempt to deride the NBN for political reasons end up embarrassing themselves instead.”

         Of course you leave out the Conroy and Gillard gaffs, when you say politicians you mean Coalition politicians only.

         Not biased! – LOL

         • Anonymous
           Posted 23/09/2011 at 5:47 pm | Permalink | Reply

           That’s why 100% of your comments are pushing the NBN rollout and 100% against Coalition policy, across many websites not just this one.

           That’s right I am in favor of FTTH. There is no dispute here, another news at 11? However that doesn’t make me biased when presenting facts about it unlike the articles that I link to. btw when the coalition come up with a worthy alternative to the NBN then we can talk, I am against it because it simply does not address or provide a solution to any of the problems the NBN does. The only thing it does is replace a slow worn out network with a meagre patchwork that will need replacing itself.

           So there is no such thing as a pro-NBN article

           Yes there are pro-NBN articles however they don’t have an agenda, they simply report facts as facts, they don’t need to rely on lies because the NBN is in motion, the articles against it are trying to stop it, they have an agenda. Now if the collation gain power and pro-NBN articles start appearing with the same sort of crap to get the NBN going again that would be an agenda too. There are plenty of anti-NBN articles that don’t make the list if you bothered to notice, those are the ones that simply present facts, just as the pro-NBN ones do. There is no need to put them in the list.

           There is plenty out there of course but that’s ok, it’s just a matter of turning your back to them – easy.

           I think you’ve failed to understand what the thread is about.

           Of course you leave out the Conroy and Gillard gaffs, when you say politicians you mean Coalition politicians only.

           What are you talking about? When did Conroy and Gillard deride the NBN? I don’t know of any labour politicians deriding the NBN but you can be sure that if that happens they will end up in the list too. No bias.

           • alain
             Posted 24/09/2011 at 12:48 pm | Permalink | Reply

             “However that doesn’t make me biased when presenting facts about it unlike the articles that I link to”

             It does when you only link to Coalition articles.

             “when the coalition come up with a worthy alternative to the NBN then we can talk, I am against it because it simply does not address or provide a solution to any of the problems the NBN does.”

             Well it does, it is only your biased judgement that deems it unworthy, once you have made that judgement you are locked into making sure any article you link to backs up that stance.

             “Yes there are pro-NBN articles however they don’t have an agenda, they simply report facts as facts,”

             Well not all of them, but as I said you are extremely selective what you comment on, and turn a blind eye on pro-NBN BS articles as if they don’t exist.

             “I think you’ve failed to understand what the thread is about.”

             I know exactly what the thread is about.

             “What are you talking about? When did Conroy and Gillard deride the NBN?”

             I am not talking about ‘deriding’ the NBN but Labor politicians talking BS about the NBN or Coalition policy.

             “but you can be sure that if that happens they will end up in the list too. No bias.”

             Yeah sure they will HC, and pigs might fly, it’s a pro-NBN anti-Coalition driven agenda, not that it matters, looking at the discussion it’s only the converted mainly patting each other on the back anyway.

             But please spare me the BS about it being anyway near to being objective.

           • Anonymous
             Posted 24/09/2011 at 1:02 pm | Permalink | Reply

             It does when you only link to Coalition articles.

             So you concur these articles are biased?

             Well it does

             Not really. Not future proof and is not much better than what we have.

             pro-NBN BS articles as if they don’t exist.

             I just said pro-NBN articles exist, look http://delimiter.com.au/forum/national-broadband-network/485-hall-awesome.html Happy now?

             I know exactly what the thread is about.

             Clearly you dont else we wouldn’t be having this conversation…

             I am not talking about ‘deriding’ the NBN but Labor politicians talking BS about the NBN or Coalition policy.

             See.

             Yeah sure they will HC, and pigs might fly, it’s a pro-NBN anti-Coalition driven agenda

             Once again no bias. It’s not anti-Coalition, it is exposing the bias in the media regarding the NBN. That is all.

           • alain
             Posted 26/09/2011 at 11:05 am | Permalink | Reply

             So what category does this come under in your Halls of Biased BS?

             “ONLY 16,000 workers will be needed to build the national broadband network, not the 37,000 forecast by the government when it announced the project two years ago.”

             http://www.theage.com.au/business/broadband-jobs-forecast-falls-short-by-thousands-20110925-1krmo.html

             Not likely to make it in eh?

           • Anonymous
             Posted 26/09/2011 at 12:36 pm | Permalink | Reply

             Wow, you finally are getting it alian.

             There are plenty of anti-NBN articles that don’t make the list if you bothered to notice, those are the ones that simply present facts, just as the pro-NBN ones do.

             Took you long enough though.

             Anymore complaints take it up in the thread in question or nominate articles there please.

8. SAPaleAle
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 2:56 pm | Permalink | Reply

   What was NBNCo thinking this will lead to politicians making informed comments about the NBN and we cant have that! I am glad The Australian is using their journalistic resources to write hard hitting articles like this.

9. Duideka
   Posted 20/09/2011 at 3:18 pm | Permalink | Reply

   I’m surprised they didn’t take his salary and divide it by how many e-mails he has sent and come up with some ridiculous headline like;

   “NBN MISUSE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS COSTING $2500 PER EMAIL!!!”

10. Pepe
    Posted 20/09/2011 at 3:49 pm | Permalink | Reply

    what i find laughable is they love to dish the dirt, but look what happened when the roles were reversed, even in jest.

    alec baldwin had a niggle about news’ phone hacking, at the emmy’s, and guess what?

    http://mashable.com/2011/09/18/alec-baldwin-emmys-joke/

    yes, yes usual suspects, it’s off topic, but really…

    so much for freedom of speech. but who cares as long as they keep bagging the nbn eh?

11. Brad
    Posted 20/09/2011 at 3:51 pm | Permalink | Reply

    The Head of Government Relations is secretly relating to the government??? *cue dramatic music* Dun dun… DUNNNNN!!!!

12. Michael Wyres
    Posted 21/09/2011 at 8:31 am | Permalink | Reply

    An government liason to an organisation charged by the government to spend government money on a government business enterprise talking to the government?

    I’m outraged.

13. Anonymous
    Posted 21/09/2011 at 1:14 pm | Permalink | Reply

    Well at least The Australian is taking the approach of Fox News in the US and not hiding its allegiances. :P

14. Bruce H.
    Posted 21/09/2011 at 1:46 pm | Permalink | Reply

    Last time I looked, Tony Windsor was elected fairly to represent the federal electorate of New England. Considering that Armidale, within the electorate of New England, was the first mainland city/town to be switched on (via a trial period) to the internet by way of the NBN, it is extraordinary that “The Australian” found it necessary to pursue this story by way of obtaining access through ‘freedom of information’ channels. Considering he was involved in the public launch of the NBN being switched on in Armidale last May, I am truly shocked that there was actual communication going on between the vested parties prior to the launch :p

    As a disclaimer, I am not in the electorate of New England (I live in nearby Coffs Harbour which will be in the 2nd release). I would have thought that an elected member such as Tony Windsor, who seeks to represent ALL of his electorate, and not represent a particular political party, and not just during his current tenancy, but for future generations was doing exactly what he was elected to do. Representing his electorate. He not only justifies his position on the NBN for his electorate publicly, but openly and is to be applauded.

    We need more elected representives like him (Windsor). Interestingly, the foundation documents for the federation of Australia makes no mention of allowances for political parties in the constitution, either in the House of Representatives or the senate. In fact the senate was an institiution created to represent to the states’ rights. It is no wonder that ‘The Australian’ takes this continuous campaign to ridicule and denigrate the Independents… they have the audacity to represent their electorates, just as our original constitution expected our elected polititians to do,. In the intervening years, political parties have hijacked our contstition for their own ends, either being ‘party policy’, or to meet the demands of various vested interests rather than their electorates. There are very few conscience votes by members of either of the major parties, unless it is for abortion, gay marriage etc.,- issues that are obviously polarising.

    It beggers one to ask whether “The Australian”, in the interests of balanced journalism, will actively persue an investigation into how many Coalition MP’s are actively in contact with the NBN Co to get the NBN rolled out into their individual electorates prior to the next election. I doubt if “The Australian” would apply as much zeal to investigating Messrs. Paul Fletcher, Tony Abbott or Malcolm Turnbull if that were to be the case.

    • Anonymous
      Posted 22/09/2011 at 12:35 am | Permalink | Reply

      Awesome post. +10

15. nonny-moose
    Posted 22/09/2011 at 6:57 pm | Permalink | Reply

    Gwyntag nearly had me pinned, he just missed one little bit…

    “You have perfectly captured my level of shock, disbelief, outrage and snark at this news, as well.”

    T,FTFY