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

Remember that what we are talking about really is removing a legislative prohibition on the executive selling its shares in this business, and for that reason I do not see that it is appropriate to set some time limit on that proposition. But, as a matter of—I would have thought—normal political and public discourse, the executive would feel itself obliged to report to both the parliament and the public on progress with the implementation of the policy. As I said, it will be our policy going to the next election and, if re-elected, a policy which we will seek to implement, as I said, in 2008. If for any reason we deemed that 2008 was not an appropriate year in which to give effect to the policy, then we would keep the public properly informed as to the reasons we were not going to proceed and as to when we might proceed. So I have every confidence that the government in the future would be reporting regularly on progress towards the implementation of this policy. I think Senator Murray could rest assured that future ministers and any future coalition government would be keeping the electorate and this parliament properly informed of progress with the implementation of that policy.