Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. I refer the minister to Telstra’s decision to close its call centres in the regional centres of Launceston, Newcastle and Wollongong, causing the loss of over 500 jobs in the process. Can the minister confirm that most of the jobs that remain will be relocated to call centres in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth? What does this say about Telstra’s commitment to regional Australia and the ability of the government to ensure that full privatisation will not lead to job losses and a reduction of services in regional Australia? Does the minister have an obligation to act in response to Telstra’s action? What action has the minister taken?