Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Murray Darling Basin) Share this | Hansard source

He well and truly ducked for cover. You know that a minister is in trouble and has things to hide when their response is simply, 'I refer to the statement I made yesterday.' That is the resort of ministers in trouble. When a minister is too scared to utter another word on the topic, we know we have a minister who is worried about something. All they can ever say is, 'I refer to the words I said yesterday.' He made that response because what he made yesterday were very carefully scripted remarks that he read from his laptop. They were very carefully scripted remarks from Senator Conroy, and when you read them closely you can drive a truck through them. It is very clear that he left open every possibility and eventuality.

It is quite possible that the legal advice he received actually left open the possibility of finalising the tender that he cancelled on Monday this week. It is quite possible, from what Senator Conroy said, that he was sitting on the successful tender for more than a month. It is quite possible he knew who had been recommended and avoided making an announcement for more than a month, during which time, because of a leak to a newspaper, he was presented with an opportunity and excuse, a pathway, out of the tender process. It is an excuse that he grabbed hold of with both hands to shut the whole thing down.

A dark shadow will hang over Senator Conroy and all those involved in this tawdry process, until Senator Conroy does the decent thing. Resigning would be a good one, Senator Conroy, but perhaps first we will at least ask him to release all the recommendations and documentation associated with the Australia Network tender, specifically those called for in the motion put in my name and that of Senator Ludlam's that was passed earlier in this chamber. The fact that the Greens recognise there is a problem here as well demonstrates just how deep the concerns about this tender process run. Until Senator Conroy supports that and supports calls from the opposition over a long period of time for the Auditor-General to undertake a thorough investigation into the handling and probity of this tender contract, doubts will hang over his head, clouds will hang over his head.

The ball really is in Senator Conroy's court. Does he want doubts about the probity of this tender to dog him at every turn and in every single decision he makes on media regulation from here on in, or is he game, is he willing, to open himself and the government to some thorough and independent scrutiny? If he continues to refuse reasonable calls to release the documentation, to have an independent inquiry, to open this thing up for a true and thorough probity check, we will all know that he and the government have plenty to hide.

Question agreed to.