Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to Senator Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Does the minister recall Senator Joyce’s demands one year ago that the government strengthen Telstra’s universal service obligation as a condition of his support for the sale of Telstra? Is the minister aware that, despite these demands, Telstra now plans to slash at least 39 payphones, more than 10 per cent of the total, in the Maranoa electorate? Is the minister also aware that these cuts include the removal of a number of payphones in Senator Joyce’s home town of St George? Doesn’t this make it clear that the minister’s earlier commitment to Senator Joyce about maintaining services in the bush was nothing more than a hollow public relations exercise?