Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is right, Senator Parry; it is shameful that they are going to do that. Secondly, they have no solution to getting this communication regime to rural and regional Australia. Under our plan we have a $1.8 billion state-of-the-art independent network that will extend the high-speed broadband to 99 per cent of the population by 2009. Sadly, in accordance with the statements issued in their media release of about 90 days ago, Labor’s plan will simply get to 75 per cent of the population, at best.

Those are the first points I want to make up front, but I want to refer to the allegations made by Labor about Telstra. They referred to the Telstra sacking of employees in Launceston. This is an issue and a concern that Michael Ferguson, the federal member for Bass, has taken up. He has received the strong support of the Tasmanian Liberal Senate team. In fact, Michael discussed it with the Senate team just last week. We had a special meeting to talk about these particular matters. We oppose this decision by Telstra. We are dreadfully disappointed and upset. We think it is a bad decision that Telstra has made, and those views have been expressed to Telstra.

They on the other side say it is because Telstra has been privatised. Telstra was corporatised under Labor. It was the former Labor government that said, ‘Let us corporatise Telstra so that it can be independent and there will be no political interference.’ That is the way it should be. Telstra has acted and operated in that way since. This is a decision by Telstra and it is a decision that we oppose.

Michael Ferguson, the federal member for Bass, has taken this on board. He cares for the 257 Tasmanians that are at risk of losing their employment, and he has taken it up with Telstra. He wrote to the Chief Executive Officer of Telstra to tell him that he was wrong and had made a bad decision and he asked him to reconsider. He did this rather than politicise the issue, as did federal Labor senators and state Labor MPs in Launceston, for pure political gain. He made representations to Telstra. He made representations to the state Premier to ask him to be part of a working group to work cooperatively—federal and state—to try to help the employees in Launceston. The state Labor Premier said no, no doubt prompted by federal Labor senators.

Nevertheless, the local business community has said that it will get on board. The local mayor, Ivan Dean MLC, said that he would come on board. They have had some meetings, and I understand that there is a further meeting tomorrow, where they will discuss the options and work out exactly what they can do to assist and support those working men and women in Launceston and their families.

The Labor Party would prefer to get involved in political shenanigans, but Michael Ferguson, the federal member for Bass, has taken a positive approach, and I believe there is hope for the future. With Michael’s support and the Liberal senators’ support, we can make a difference for those people. (Time expired)