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. Can the minister confirm that the government’s decision to force Mr Geoff Cousins onto the Telstra board against the wishes of Telstra is just the latest in a series of government acts of bullying and intimidation aimed at the Telstra management? Hasn’t the government also leant on the board to try to get it to lock in dividend payments at unsustainable levels in 2007 and 2008, gagged Telstra’s executives from criticising government regulatory policy, leant on the board about the terms of the T3 prospectus on issues such as the impact of regulation and the nomination of Mr Cousins, and threatened to vote against existing Telstra directors at the upcoming Telstra AGM? Can the minister explain why the government continues to engage in an unprecedented campaign of harassment against the management?