It has put to me that should the ACCC win its case against Bill Express and for breaches of the Trade Practices Act in relation to Bill Express equipment agreements, newsagents could have an opportunity for action against the ANF.
This current ANF Board has made serious errors in their handling of the Bill Express issue. The Board and some ANF staff in early 2003 also made serious errors in handling the Bill Express opportunity.
While some may argue that newsagents should not act against their association, individual newsagents are bearing a multi million dollar cost as a result of ANF errors. They trusted the ANF 2003 and this year to guide their decisions. That trust has proved to have been miss placed. The claimed due-diligence was not done. The ANF has not had the grace to admit this.
I am not seriously suggesting that newsagents take legal action against their industry association – no matter how much its poor judgment has cost them. I am, however, pointing out that it is a sad state of affairs for an industry association which continues to refuse to apologise for its poor performance and makes little effort to publicly engage with those which it claims to serve.
For those wondering about the photo – it is of the former Bill Express Head Office in Melbourne. I was driving past yesterday.
I think some newsagents will have a case for action against the ANF but not all. With the aftermath being that bad that a new association will have to be formed, so to be taken seriously.
The ANF should stand up and cop it on the chin or refund all members and shut down. Or am I missing something?