Learn about horrendous crimes, unscrupulous criminals, and corrupt politicians and lawyers who control the legal profession in Australia. Shameful, hideous, and treacherous are just a few words that describe these lawbreakers.   

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A Web of Silence and Evasion

Until the late 1990s, the Australian government held complete ownership of the nation's telephone network through the communications carrier, Telecom, now privatised and rebranded as Telstra. During this era, Telecom wielded an unchallenged monopoly over communications, allowing the network to decay into a shadow of its former self. Rather than address the glaring failures in service, the government-sanctioned arbitration process devolved into a treacherous game —an uneven battle in which claimants were systematically ground down. Many individuals poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into their claims against Telstra, only to see their pleas for justice fall on deaf ears.

🏚️ The Vanishing of a Coastal Legacy
Losing a thriving business along with two cherished residences, fourteen deceptively cosy accommodation bunk houses—an entire complex designed to serve more than 150 patrons—is a tragedy that echoes with betrayal. This venue, boasting a fully equipped industrial kitchen and a hauntingly beautiful 1870 Presbyterian church that had hosted high-profile guests like Helen Handbury, sister of media titan Rupert Murdoch, was no ordinary holiday retreat. Its allure and coastal charm masked a darker underbelly.

📞 Sabotage in Plain Sight
The anguish of this loss is compounded by the realisation that it wasn’t the unforgiving forces of nature—fire, flood, or mismanagement—that snatched this treasure away. No, it was the insidious grip of ongoing telephone problems —a cleverly disguised form of sabotage that threatened the very foundation of the business. The nightmare deepened when I learned that the arbitrator, a supposedly reputable graduate, was all too aware that these persistent issues could have been addressed after his final decision was rendered. Had he wielded the Arbitration Act to recommend a just valuation of my losses, perhaps I could have found some semblance of justice once Telstra rectified the situation.

🕵️‍♂️ A Calculated Betrayal
Yet, in a shocking display of treachery, the arbitrator—alongside his complicit Project Manager, John Rundell, and John Pinnock, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman—chose to mislead the President of the Institute of Arbitrators Australia. Their actions reveal not merely negligence but a calculated deception, as documented in the Open Letter dated 25 September 2025 (see "The first remedy pursued")

🧩 The Blueprint of Corruption
Digging into "Chapter 5 Fraudulent Conduct", alongside the harrowing tales of betrayal that unfolded during the COT arbitrations, exposes the treachery at play. It reveals a conspiracy of corruption, allowing myself and others to be misrepresented by these enigmatic figures who wielded their power with a sinister agenda. Their corrupt dealings perverted the arbitration process, transforming what should have been a path to justice into a labyrinth of deceit, fundamentally altering the lives of those ensnared in their web of manipulation.

I believe you are taking the most appropriate course of action

I have never received a written response from BCI, but the Canadian government ministers’ office wrote back on 7 July 1995, noting:

"In view of the facts of this situation, as I understand them, I believe you are taking the most appropriate course of action in contacting BCI directly with respect to the alleged errors in their test report, should you feel that they could assist you in your case."   

This is why I have chosen to use the Canadian government letter here to spearhead my story—as a gesture of gratitude for the assistance which only the Commonwealth Ombudsman has ever provided since my 1994 arbitration.

This narrative must be examined alongside the veiled threats I received from Telstra, which cast a long, sinister shadow over this entire affair. Enclosed are four pages extracted from the elusive logbook, detailing the dates of the dubious Bell Canada International Inc. tests at Cape Bridgewater—a mere fraction of the missing documentation that shrouds the truth in darkness. The conspiracy runs deeper than mere negligence; it oozes through the very fabric of this organisation.

 

⚖️ A Challenge to Bell Canada International and Telstra 
Since April 1998, six government officials—including Sue Laver, now Corporate Secretary of Telstra—have woven a deceitful web that exposes the depths of their corruption. These individuals knowingly perpetuated a lie about the Cape Bridgewater tests allegedly conducted by Bell Canada International Inc. (BCI), despite being aware that the tests were incapable of supporting Telstra’s fabricated arbitration defence.

 

 

 

 

Call for Justice

A Working Phone: My Battle for Justice

The corruption embedded within the government-sanctioned Casualties of Telstra (COT) arbitrations represents a dark chapter in our history. While the government turned a blind eye, the charade of fairness concealed a sinister reality. Rather than resolving the longstanding telephone and fax issues that have plagued countless businesses, the government’s endorsement merely perpetuated them, leaving operators trapped in a cycle of frustration and despair. 

Despite the COT Cases pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a flawed arbitration process, the outcome was not justice but a more bottomless financial quagmire. Most, if not all, of these businesses emerged from the ordeal in a far worse state than when they had begun, victims of a system designed to fail them. It reeks of unethical complicity —a betrayal of trust by those in power who turned a deaf ear to the cries of desperate business owners, all while profiting from their misfortune.

My name is Alan Smith, and this is the story of my battle with a telecommunications giant and the Australian Government. Since 1992, this battle has twisted and turned through elected governments, government departments, regulatory bodies, the judiciary, and the telecommunications behemoth Telstra—or Telecom, as it was known when this story began. The quest for justice continues to this day.

My story began in 1987, when I decided that my life at sea—where I had spent the previous 20 years—was over. I needed a new, land-based occupation to carry me through to retirement and beyond. Of all the places I had visited around the world, I chose to make Australia my home.

Hospitality was my calling, and I had always dreamed of running a school holiday camp. So imagine my delight when I saw the Cape Bridgewater Holiday Camp and Convention Centre advertised for sale in The Age. Nestled in rural Victoria, near the small maritime port of Portland, it seemed perfect. I conducted what I believed was thorough due diligence to ensure the business was sound—or at least, all the due diligence I knew to perform. Who would have thought I needed to check whether the phones worked?

Within a week of taking over the business, I knew I had a problem. Customers and suppliers were telling me they had tried to call but couldn’t get through. That’s right—I had a business to run, but the phone service was, at best, unreliable, and at worst, completely absent. Naturally, we lost business as a result.

The Camp was profoundly reliant on phone communication. It was our vital link to city dwellers eager to connect with our services. One of our most significant oversights—blinded by the charm of this coastal haven—was failing to investigate the existing telephone system. At the time, mobile coverage was virtually nonexistent, and business was conducted through traditional means—not online, and certainly not by email. We soon discovered we were tethered to an antiquated telephone exchange, installed more than 30 years earlier and designed specifically for 'low-call-rate' areas. This outdated, unstaffed exchange had a pitiful capacity of just eight lines.

During a typical week, the picturesque Cape Bridgewater was home to 66 residential families—not including those who used their coastal retreats to escape the bustle of city life. This created a significant challenge, especially considering many of these families had children. The eight service lines struggled to support a growing census of 130 adults and children. By the time a modern Remote Control Module (RCM) was finally installed in August 1991, twelve children had been added to the mix, bringing the total population to 144. However, various weekend visitors often brought that figure to 150 or more. 

📉 The Hidden Cost of Cape Bridgewater’s Failing Lines
No wonder I was financially broken by the end of 1988—barely a year after taking over the business in late 1987. The reality was brutal: Cape Bridgewater’s telecommunications setup was catastrophically inadequate.

In stark terms, if just four of the 144 residences were making or receiving calls, only four lines remained for the other 140 residents. That’s not just poor planning—it’s a systemic failure. My business was strangled by a network that couldn’t support even the most basic communication needs. Every missed call was a missed opportunity. Every dropped connection was another nail in the coffin of a venture I had poured everything into.

We stepped into this complex landscape of limited connectivity and coastal beauty with ambition and optimism. The Camp was more than a business—it was a dream made real. A serene retreat where the stress of city life could dissolve into the ocean mist. But as we quickly learned, dreams need infrastructure to survive.

Our phone lines became both our lifeline and our most significant obstacle. Booking inquiries, supply orders, emergency calls—even simple conversations with clients—all had to pass through those eight fragile channels. During peak times, the lines were constantly engaged. Guests complained they couldn’t reach us. Suppliers missed confirmations. Opportunities slipped through our fingers like sand.

⚖️ A Conspiracy of Silence: The Betrayal Behind the Arbitration

The document from March 1994 (AUSTEL’s Adverse Findings) reveals a troubling reality: government officials tasked with investigating my ongoing telephone issues found my claims against Telstra to be valid. This was not merely an oversight; it indicates a deliberate pattern of misconduct that played out between Points 2 and 212. It is chilling to consider that, had the arbitrator been furnished with this critical evidence, he would likely have awarded me far greater compensation for my substantial business losses. Instead, my claims were weakened because they lacked a proper log over the six-year period that AUSTEL deceptively used to formulate their findings, as outlined in AUSTEL’s Adverse Findings.

🧨 But the betrayal runs deeper than just bad governance 

Compounding this treachery, government records (Absentjustice-Introduction File 495 to 551) illustrate that AUSTEL's damaging findings were handed over to Telstra, the defendants, one month before the arbitration agreement was signed. This calculated manoeuvre ensured that Telstra was armed with information that I, the innocent party, was wholly unaware of until November 23, 2007—a staggering twelve years after my arbitration concluded. This insidious manipulation left me unable to challenge the arbitrator's decision, as I was now trapped beyond the statute of limitations. Such glaring misconduct not only obstructed my quest for justice but also casts a shadow over the integrity of the entire arbitration process, suggesting a concerted effort to protect Telstra's interests at the expense of fairness and accountability. This scheme reeks of corruption and betrayal, leaving me to question the very foundations of a system that is meant to uphold justice.

The result? A grotesque parody of justice. My pursuit of truth was obstructed at every turn, and the arbitration process twisted into a tool of suppression. The very system meant to uphold fairness was weaponised against me, its integrity corroded by collusion and concealment. I spent over $300,000 in professional fees across thirteen gruelling months, fighting to prove what AUSTEL had already confirmed—six weeks before I was lured into signing the arbitration agreement on April 21, 1994.

This was not justice. It was a betrayal—systemic, strategic, and unforgivable.

And so, my saga began—a long, painful quest to secure working phone service. Along the way, I received some compensation for business losses and many promises that the problem had been resolved. It never was. I sold the business in 2002, and the owners who followed me suffered the same fate.

Other independent business owners, similarly affected by poor telecommunications, joined me on this journey. We became known as the Casualties of Telecom—the COT cases. All we’ve ever wanted is for Telecom/Telstra to acknowledge our problems, fix them, and compensate us for our losses. A working phone—is that really too much to ask?

We initially called for a full Senate investigation into Telecom and these issues. Instead, we were offered an alternative: arbitration. It seemed like a fair and reasonable way to resolve the problem, so we agreed. At that early stage, we genuinely believed the technical issues preventing our phones from working would finally be addressed.

No such luck. Almost immediately, we began to suspect that something was wrong with the arbitration process. We had been promised access to the Telecom documents we needed to make our case. That promise was never fulfilled. To this day, we still do not have those documents.

"Chapter 5 Immoral - Hypocritical Conduct"

📠 The Vanishing Faxes: A Calculated Disruption

On 23 May 1994, I was advised by the arbitrator's secretary that my arbitration-related faxes had never reached Dr Hughes' office, even though my Telstra fax account for that date shows six faxes were sent to Dr Hughes' office fax number.

After trying to explain the discrepancy to Dr Hughes' secretary, I spoke to some office staff who admitted they had not collected that information by mistake. Telstra’s arbitration B004 report, prepared by Tony Watson (Front Page Part One File No/1), later claimed that the reason those faxes never arrived was that Dr Hughes’ office fax machine was busy when I attempted to send them.

If this were the case, why did Telstra bill me for those faxes that were not received?

🧾 Evidence Suppressed, Justice Denied

The information I had faxed through was billing documentation regarding Bell Canada’s alleged testing at Cape Bridgewater, along with my report proving that the BCI tests could not have occurred. This was not trivial correspondence—it was critical evidence that undermined the very foundation of Telstra’s defence.

When I told Graham Schorer, the official COT spokesperson, that this had happened again, he contacted Dr Hughes directly. This wasn’t a mere technical hiccup. It was a deliberate obstruction—an engineered failure that ensured vital documents never reached the arbitrator. And yet, Telstra still charged me for each transmission, profiting from the very sabotage that crippled my case.

I must take the reader fourteen years forward to the following letter, dated 30 July 2009. According to this letter dated 30 July 2009, from Graham Schorer (COT spokesperson) and ex-client of the arbitrator Dr Hughes (see Chapter 3 - Conflict of Interest) wrote to Paul Crowley, CEO Institute of Arbitrators Mediators Australia (IAMA), attaching a statutory declaration (see" Burying The Evidence File 13-H and a copy of a previous letter dated 4 August 1998 from Mr Schorer to me, detailing a phone conversation Mr Schorer had with the arbitrator (during the arbitrations in 1994) regarding lost Telstra COT related faxes. During that conversation, the arbitrator explained, in some detail, that:

"Hunt & Hunt (The company's) Australian Head Office was located in Sydney, and (the company) is a member of an international association of law firms. Due to overseas time zone differences, at close of business,  Melbourne's incoming facsimiles are night switched to automatically divert to Hunt & Hunt Sydney office where someone is always on duty. There are occasions on the opening of the Melbourne office, the person responsible for cancelling the night switching of incoming faxes from the Melbourne office to the Sydney Office, has failed to cancel the automatic diversion of incoming facsimiles." Burying The Evidence File 13-H.

Psychologically undermined.

(See File Ann Garms 104 Document).

🔥 A Turning Point in My Fight for Justice
Let me tell you something that still chills me.

Before she passed away, Ann Garms—one of the original COT Cases—wrote a desperate letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull → (See File Ann Garms 104 Document).  In that letter, she revealed something that had haunted her: Queensland’s former Premier Wayne Goss told her that we, the COT Cases, were subjected to gaslighting techniques. That’s right. A senior figure in Australian politics confirmed what we had long suspected. We weren’t just ignored—we were manipulated, destabilised, and psychologically undermined.

Wayne Goss wasn’t just any politician. He was deeply embedded in the system. If he said gaslighting was used against us, then he knew. He knew what was done to us. And he said it out loud.

⚖️ My Case: The Silence That Screams
Take my situation. I was one of the COT Cases. My arbitration was supposed to be conducted under the auspices of the Supreme Court of Victoria. That meant it should have been protected, transparent, and accountable.
But when Telstra carried out threats against me—real threats—Dr Gordon Hughes, the arbitrator, refused to contact the Supreme Court. He didn’t report the threats. He didn’t acknowledge them in his findings. He didn’t even try to protect the integrity of the process.

• Why?
• Why would an arbitrator ignore threats made during a court-sanctioned process?
• Why would he leave out the most sinister part of my experience

The silence is deafening. The corruption is undeniable.

📜 What Ann Garms Knew—and What She Tried to Warn
Ann’s letter wasn’t just a plea. It was a warning. She knew what had been done to us. She knew we were being gaslit, surveilled, and sabotaged. And she tried to tell the Prime Minister before it was too late.
She died not long after sending that letter.
But I’m still here. And I’m still telling the story.

🧭 This Is the Moment Everything Changed
Wayne Goss’s confirmation. Dr Hughes’ silence. Telstra’s threats. Ann Garms’ final letter.

This is the moment I mark as a turning point in my chronology. It’s where the mask slipped, where the truth began to surface, where the betrayal became undeniable.
And I’ve documented it all. Every exhibit. Every omission. Every threat.

Because this isn’t just my story, it’s a national disgrace.

🕳️ The Arbitrator’s Omission: Silence in the Face of Surveillance

Dr Hughes’s failure to disclose the faxing issues to the Australian Federal Police during my arbitration is deeply concerning. The AFP was actively investigating the interception of my faxes to the arbitrator’s office, as well as my failure to receive arbitration-related documents sent to my office via Australia Post—and vice versa: arbitration-related documents sent to the arbitrator that were never received.

Yet this crucial matter, central to my claim, was entirely omitted from Dr Hughes’s award. He made no mention of it in any of his findings. The loss of essential arbitration documents throughout the COT Cases is not a minor oversight—it is a damning indictment of the entire process. It reveals a deliberate suppression of evidence and a refusal to confront the sabotage that undermined the integrity of the arbitration itself.

📬 Echoes of Interference: The 2008 Repetition

And here in 2008, the same BCI arbitration-related documents—now in the hands of the new owners of my business—were again not received by the Melbourne Magistrates Court. This, despite the new owners personally handing over their overnight mail to the Australia Post front desk.

There was no way they could have tampered with the material I had prepared to help them stave off bankruptcy. That material included critical evidence of the ongoing telephone and faxing problems—evidence that mirrored the very sabotage I had endured during my arbitration.

The recurrence of this pattern—documents vanishing in transit, evidence silenced, and institutions turning a blind eye—suggests not coincidence, but continuity. A continuity of obstruction. A continuity of corruption.

​🏛️ Government Agencies' Dismissal of Evidence

Nine government agencies, including two self-regulated regulators and the Institute of Arbitrators Australia, ignored my substantiated claims that Telstra built its arbitration defence on three falsified reports. Despite the arbitration being government-endorsed, these institutions failed to investigate the ongoing issues with telephone and fax services that were severely impacting my business. Arbitrator Dr Gordon Hughes relied on these flawed documents in his final award on May 11, 1995, incorrectly stating in point 3.5(h) that all my ongoing telephone problems had been resolved by July 1994. However, "Chapter 4 The New Owners Tell Their Story," shows that these problems persisted at least until November 2006, more than eleven years after he made those official statements.

Telstra-Corruption-Freehill-Hollingdale & Page

Corrupt practices persisted throughout the COT arbitrations, flourishing in secrecy and obscurity. These insidious actions have managed to evade necessary scrutiny. Notably, the phone issues persisted for years following the conclusion of my arbitration, established to rectify these faults

Confronting Despair

The independent arbitration consultants demonstrated a concerning lack of impartiality. Instead of providing clear and objective insights, their guidance to the arbitrator was often marked by evasive language, misleading statements, and, at times, outright falsehoods.

Flash Backs – China-Vietnam

In 1967, Australia participated in the Vietnam War. I was on a ship transporting wheat to China, where I learned China was redeploying some of it to North Vietnam. Chapter 7, "Vietnam—Vietcong," discusses the link between China and my phone issues.

A Twenty-Year Marriage Lost

As bookings declined, my marriage came to an end. My ex-wife, seeking her fair share of our venture, left me with no choice but to take responsibility for leaving the Navy without adequately assessing the reliability of the phone service in my pursuit of starting a business.

Salvaging What I Could

Mobile coverage was nonexistent, and business transactions were not conducted online. Cape Bridgewater had only eight lines to service 66 families—132 adults. If four lines were used simultaneously, the remaining 128 adults would have only four lines to serve their needs.

Lies Deceit And Treachery

I was unaware of Telstra's unethical and corrupt business practices. It has now become clear that various unethical organisational activities were conducted secretly. Middle management was embezzling millions of dollars from Telstra.

An Unlocked Briefcase

On June 3, 1993, Telstra representatives visited my business and, in an oversight, left behind an unlocked briefcase. Upon opening it, I discovered evidence of corrupt practices concealed from the government, playing a significant role in the decline of Telstra's telecommunications network.

A Government-backed Arbitration

An arbitration process was established to hide the underlying issues rather than to resolve them. The arbitrator, the administrator, and the arbitration consultants conducted the process using a modified confidentiality agreement. In the end, the process resembled a kangaroo court.

Not Fit For Purpose

AUSTEL investigated the contents of the Telstra briefcases. Initially, there was disbelief regarding the findings, but this eventually led to a broader discussion that changed the telecommunications landscape. I received no acknowledgement from AUSTEL for not making my findings public.
&am

A Non-Graded Arbitrator

Who granted the financial and technical advisors linked to the arbitrator immunity from all liability regarding their roles in the arbitration process? This decision effectively shields the arbitration advisors from any potential lawsuits by the COT claimants concerning misconduct or negligence.<

The AFP Failed Their Objective

In September 1994, two officers from the AFP met with me to address Telstra's unauthorised interception of my telecommunications services. They revealed that government documents confirmed I had been subjected to these violations. Despite this evidence, the AFP did not make a finding.&am

The Promised Documents Never Arrived

In a February 1994 transcript of a pre-arbitration meeting, the arbitrator involved in my arbitration stated that he "would not determination on incomplete information.". The arbitrator did make a finding on incomplete information.

Chapter 1

Learn about government corruption and the dirty deeds used by the government to cover up these horrendous injustices committed against 16 Australian citizens

Chapter 2

Betrayal deceit disinformation duplicity falsehood fraud hypocrisy lying mendacity treachery and trickery. This sums up the COT government endorsed arbitrations.

Chapter 3

Ending bribery corruption means holding the powerful to account and closing down the systems that allows bribery, illicit financial flows, money laundering, and the enablers of corruption to thrive.

Chapter 4

Learn about government corruption and the dirty deeds used by the government to cover up these horrendous injustices committed against 16 Australian citizens. Government corruption within the public service affected most if not all of the COT arbitrations. 

Chapter 5

Corruption is contagious and does not respect sectoral boundaries. Corruption involves duplicity and reduces levels of morality and trust.

Chapter 6

Anti-corruption policies need to be used in anti-corruption reforms and strategy. Corruption metrics and corruption risk assessment is good governance

Chapter 7

Bribery and Corruption happens in the shadows, often with the help of professional enablers such as bankers, lawyers, accountants and real estate agents, opaque financial systems and anonymous shell companies that allow corruption schemes to flourish and the corrupt to launder their wealth.

Chapter 8

Corrupt practices in government and the results of those corrupt practices become problematic enough – but when that corruption becomes systemic in more than one operation, it becomes cancer that endangers the welfare of the world's democracy.

Chapter 9

Corruption in government, including non-government self-regulators, undermines the credibility of that government. It erodes the trust of its citizens who are left without guidance are the feel of purpose. Bribery and Corruption is cancer that destroys economic growth and prosperity. 

Chapter 10

The horrendous, unaddressed crimes perpetrated against the COT Cases during government-endorsed arbitrations administered by the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman have never been investigated. 

Chapter 11

This type of skulduggery is treachery, a Judas kiss with dirty dealing and betrayal. This is dirty pool and crookedness and dishonest. This conduct fester’s corruption. It is as bad, if not worse than double-dealing and cheating those who trust you.&a

Chapter 12

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