News - Community & business

Are you sick of poor internet service in Gungahlin? Still stuck on ADSL1 or even worse: dial-up? Have you been paying for higher speed ADSL services that instead run like dial-up or have you been forced to sign up for an expensive and relatively slow wireless service?

If so, then don't miss our meeting on Wednesday evening 14 July. Telstra Countrywide General Manager Chris Taylor has agreed to front up and answer your questions and concerns about the service Telstra has been providing for Gungahlin residents over recent years.

Mr Taylor's appearance at our meeting was triggered by a complaint from him about the accuracy of claims made by us and campaigner for better ACT broadband service Russ Gillon in an article in Gungahlin News (see tinyurl.com/26ynxgs). Mr Taylor wrote that he was "bemused" at the claims made, so we invited him to come to our meeting to explain where it was that we've all got it wrong…

We'll also be asking him why we should cop paying full price for services that Telstra deliberately 'shaped' as a way to cope with their congestion problems.

Our meetings are at the Palmerston Community Centre (behind the shops) from 7.30pm. Please make sure you let others with broadband problems know about the meeting.

The ACT Government has announced the appointment of Gai Beecher as the inaugural Principal of the new Gungahlin College. Ms Beecher was previously the Principal of the highly regarded Campbell High School.

I was invited by ACT Education head Dr Jim Watterson to represent the Gungahlin community on the selection panel for this vacancy. It was a great honour to be involved in making this decision that is so critical for establishing the College's pivotal role in the future of our town centre and our wider community. My particular areas of focus in the selection were how the candidates would ensure the college curriculum feeds into the courses offered by our local universities, so our kids can stay home while studying instead of being distracted working to pay the rent, how they would manage the multi-million dollar operation and entwine the college with the broader community, and how they would address concerns about bullying and cyber-safety.