Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, representing Senator Minchin, the Minister for Finance and Administration. I refer the minister to the T3 prospectus released today to the ASX and, in particular, to the section concerning the appointment of Mr Geoff Cousins, which states:

Telstra believes that if there is a risk Mr Cousins cannot be considered an independent director that this could prove disruptive to the smooth and effective functioning of the Board.

And that:

The Board is concerned that there is a risk that Mr Cousins’ previous consulting role with the Government could interfere with his capacity to be considered an independent director.

Don’t these scathing comments demonstrate the petulance and arrogance of the Howard government’s nomination of Mr Cousins?