Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian is entirely wrong in suggesting that this is a fire sale. This is an appropriate response to the overweight position which the government has in Telstra as a result of the opposition’s utterly irresponsible troglodyte opposition to the further sale of Telstra for the whole of its period in opposition.

In answer to the first part of Senator Wong’s question—no, I am not aware of any direction or instruction or commentary by anyone on the government’s part as to the details of the entitlement, because I specifically said that details of the entitlement will be made clear when the offer structure is announced.