Telstra to compensate 42,000 customers for slow NBN speeds.

The ABC reports that Telstra has offered to compensate around 42,000 customers who experienced slow National Broadband Network (NBN) speeds. Telstra has admitted that it may have engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and made false or misleading representations, in breach of Australian Consumer Law. Over the last two years it is reported, that Telstra mentioned in its NBN advertising that it could provide download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps), and maximum upload speeds of 40 Mbps. After investigating Telstra's claim, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) concluded that many customers were not receiving the high speeds they had paid for. "Our investigation revealed many of Telstra's FTTN and FTTB customers could not receive the maximum speed of their plan," commented the ACCC's chairman, Rod Sims.

The citizenship crisis worsens.

It is reported that Malcolm Turnbull is threatening MPs' Christmas break, with an extra sitting to break citizenship deadlock. It appears that politicians might have to finish their Christmas shopping in Canberra this year, with the Prime Minister saying that he might extend the sittings of Parliament. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is under pressure to resolve the citizenship fiasco and is flagging extra sitting days to finalise it this year reports the ABC. Malcolm Turnbull is also understood to be preparing for the possibility of many by-elections on one day early next year, potentially in February reports the ABC. It seems that both sides of politics are preparing for the possibility that there will have to be a series of by-elections to replace people found to be ineligible. A number of LNP and ALP ministers could be effected. The ABC reports that Prime Minister Turnbull is meeting ALP Opposition Leader Bill Shorten today to try to strike a deal on his plan to force all MPs to reveal details about where they and their parents were born. The Prime Minister's proposal released last week gives all politicians 21 days to produce the documents but the ALP have said that is not tough enough and might mean some MPs with questionable status are not uncovered until next year. Prime Minister Turnbull is recalling Parliament for an extra week in December to deal with the crisis.

Malcolm Roberts is getting advice from ex-One Nation staffer Sean Black who is charged with rape.

It is reported that One Nation's Malcolm Roberts will continue to seek the advice of a one-time staffer, Sean Black during the Queensland election despite him being committed to stand trial for rape. The ABC reports that the former senator is running in the state seat of Ipswich in a bid to resurrect his political career after the High Court recently ruled that he was ineligible to sit in Federal Parliament as a dual UK citizen. It seems that Mr Roberts is in a hard-fought contest to unseat the sitting Labor member Jennifer Howard, who is also the Assistant Minister of State who holds a sizeable margin of 16 per cent. Last Thursday, it was revealed that Malcolm Robert's adviser, Sean Black, was arrested and charged with rape in May and would face a trial in the Brisbane District Court on the matter. Apparently Mr Black no longer works for Mr Roberts, but it is understood that he has been involved with his Ipswich campaign, including attending a media event and liaising with the ABC's 7.30 program about arranging an interview with the former senator.

Manus refugees being coerced to move to centre with no running water, UN says.

The UNHCR says that the situation is growing critical due to lack of beds and services at some of the new accommodation – but Immigration Minister Peter Dutton rejects the claims. The Guardian reports that there are not enough beds, not enough doctors and no running water or electricity at some of the new accommodation that refugees on Manus Island are being coerced to move to, the United Nations refugee agency says. As the standoff at the Manus detention centre draws into its second week reports the Guardian, stores of food, water and medicine inside the centre are running out, while a military blockade is stopping further supplies coming in as well as stopping independent observers from accessing the centre. In an effort to coerce people to leave, the centres food, water and electricity have been cut off for a week – ostensibly for the military to take control of the centre. The Guardian reports that A spokeswoman for the UNHCR, Catherine Stubberfield, has said that the situation for those still in the detention centre was growing critical, and the alternatives were not sufficient. It is reported that Australia’s immigration and border protection department has rejected much of the testimony of the independent observers and the refugees themselves, saying: “There has been significant misreporting in recent days about the situation in Manus province.

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Image 1 https://www.2st.com.au/news/shoalhaven-news/115584-issues-with-the-nbn-help-is-available
Image 2 http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/rudd-snubbed-by-turnbull-no-job-no-meeting-20160729-gqgvgt.html
Image 3 http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/one-nation-senator-malcolm-roberts-calls-for-ausexit-from-monster-united-nations-in-first-speech-20160913-grfojm.html
Image 4 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-28/refugees-stopped-from-leaving-manus-island-to-give-evidence/8998118