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

I was saying that this is why the Gillard government have called in the Australian Federal Police to investigate the leaks which have necessitated the termination of the tender process. I would like to emphasise that at all times the government has acted within the terms and conditions of the tender process. The Australia Network is a core element of Australia's overseas broadcasting network and a major public diplomacy platform. It makes a significant contribution to the promotion and protection of Australia's national interests.

On 23 November 2010 the government announced it would put out the Australia Network to open tender for a 10-year contract. The contract was for a maximum of $223.1 million, excluding GST, which represented the current contract cost of $94.2 million over five years, with an adjustment for inflation. The request for tender was released on 4 February and closed on 25 March 2011. On 24 June 2011 the government announced an extension to the tender to ensure the national interest would be addressed more broadly. Among these changes were the importance of key emerging markets on the global economy, significant political transformation occurring across the Middle East and North Africa, and the need— (Time expired)