The story which needs to be written about Bill Express is one about how an industry association sold its soul, cost its members tens of millions of dollars and walked away with a nice profit, only to sell its soul to the next in line.
Journalists need to be wary of the statements being made by the Australian Newsagents’ Federation about Bill Express. On this matter, the ANF is not acting as an association representing its members, it is acting as a commercial partner of several companies involved.
In 2003, the ANF entered into a commercial Heads of Agreement with Bill Express subsidiary Dialtime Pty Ltd. In doing this, it rejected an alternative newsagent owned phone recharge and bill payment offer. For the record, I note that I was not on the ANF Board at the time and I had no commercial involvement in either Bill Express or the newsagent owned alternative.
In the 2003 Bill Express / Dialtime agreement, the ANF agreed to promote the Bill Express, Dialtime and eftpos offers “to the exclusion of all other electronic pre-paid and eftpos offers”.
Last year, I approached the ANF about negotiating a better rate for newsagents. The ANF CEO told me that the ANZ offer was the best offer for newsagents. I did not accept that and proceeded to negotiate with several banks. The result was an offer from St.George which was substantially better than the offer from the ANZ.
In 2008, when the 2003 Agreement ended this year, the ANF entered into a commercial agreement around mobile phone recharge and merchant services from Suncorp and St.George banks. The St.George rates achieved by the ANF are the rates I negotiated. I’d note that my work on the St.George rates was pro bono – I did not seek nor am paid any fee for acquiring a new merchant or for transactions processed.
Not surprisingly, following its agreement with St.George and Suncorp, the ANF started talking down the ANZ rates and talking up their new commercial partners.
In today’s Age newspaper, ANF acting CEO (no announcement has been made yet about a change of status) Don MacAskill is quoted:
“A lot of newsagents are in a predicament, wondering do we get an alternative, will the platforms still be operating, ongoing,” said ANF chief executive Don MacAskill.
“We really are trying to keep our members informed of where things are at and, at the same time, still recommending or giving details of alternative service providers to try and fill the gap of some of the things that were originally facilitated by the Bill Express platform.”
This is where journalists need to ask questions. The ANF is not acting on behalf of members, it is acting in the interests of its commercial partners as it has done in the area of mobile recharge / bill payment since 2003. Journalists ought not quote the ANF as a representative body.
Journalists cannot treat the statements from the ANF about Bill Express as statements from an industry association. They are statements from a commercial body which profits from those it talks up. An association wold do what the Queensland Newsagents’ Federation is doing and listing all eftpos offers available to newsagents so newsagents can make their own commercial decisions. The ANF, instead, actively talks down the ANZ and Commonwealth Bank offers.
Some newsagenmts are so incensed at the poor representation by the ANF of member interests that they are resigning their membership.
I am conflicted, as the ANF often points out, because I own eziPass. eziPass is offered free to all newsagents. I do not make anything from transactions. The ANF knows this. eziPass is available free to any newsagent. Indeed, for one day a couple of months ago, the ANF endorsed eziPass in two communications. My conflict is nothing compared to the ANF conflict.
