David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, upon notice, on 17 August 2011:

Did the Minister or any of his ministerial staff receive a briefing, written or verbal, from his department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or a member of the selection panel regarding any of the information provided by tenderers in their tender submissions in relation to the Australia Network tender; if so, when and what was the nature of the information provided.

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

The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

I was involved in the Cabinet discussions on the additional criterion added to the Request for Tender. Consideration is a matter of Cabinet confidentiality. I received the Tender Evaluation Board (TEB) report on 31 August 2011. Actions taken are confidential to the tender process until announced.