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

They have brought in the big guns—sorry, Senator Birmingham. 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. The Gillard government is determined to ensure the Australia Network has a strong and effective operator that will advance our national interests. The tender process was terminated on legal advice that it was compromised by the leaking of information confidential to the process. I would like to emphasise that at all times the government has acted within the terms and conditions of the tender process.

For the benefit of the Senate it is worth again explaining both how the Australia Network has come to this point and the absolute priority of the government's actions at every stage of the process. The government announced that it would conduct—