Michael Forshaw (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Can the minister confirm that two of the 5,000 payphones to be cut by Telstra this year will come from the Wollongong TAFE campus? Is the minister aware of these comments by a student, Ms Denise Temple, who attends the Wollongong TAFE:

I am a single mother with two small children and a grandchild. I do not own a mobile phone and do not have the funds to support one. I am at the mercy of Telstra; the removal of public phones will leave me unable to contact my children, grandson and the people that care for them. This is extremely unnerving as it will result in my inability to fulfil my education, reducing opportunities for further employment.

What does the minister have to say to students like Ms Denise Temple? Why has the minister given Telstra a green light to hang up on people like Ms Temple who depend so much upon Telstra payphones as a lifeline?