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

This proposal included a signed proponent’s declaration form. Yesterday morning, Telstra released a media statement in which Telstra chairman, Don McGauchie, stated:

Telstra believes the Government can consider its proposal under the existing terms of the RFP…

Yesterday afternoon, Telstra Policy and Communications GMD David Quilty told CommsDay:

It’s a request for proposals. We put in a proposal. We believe it enables us to be assessed.

Last night, Telstra Chairman Donald McGauchie told Lateline Business:

… we have put in a proposal to the Government which is within the terms of the RFP.

They are certainly more right than those opposite. In this context we have said that Telstra’s proposal will be assessed against the RFP by the expert panel in exactly the same way as those of all other bidders. To do otherwise could unnecessarily expose the government to legal action. The government’s NBN process is being conducted subject to strict probity principles for very good reason. It is because we take the integrity— (Time expired)