Mr MITCHELL - 1996-02-20
The outgoing ACTU president and endorsed Labor candidate for a federal seat in Melbourne, Mr Martin Ferguson, has claimed that the Coalition's plans to privatise one-third of Telstra will cost jobs in the Territory. Can the Chief Minister verify this, or is it just another beat-up by an aspiring Labor politician desiring to scare off the Territory electorate?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a top question in the sense that it presents an opportunity to expose members opposite as phonies. Here we have Martin Ferguson trapezing into our community. He is nothing more than another aspiring federal Labor politician. He has come here to rattle the sword and say that we should look out because this policy will cost Territory jobs. One has to ask where Martin Ferguson has been whilst the federal government has been ripping the heart out of the Commonwealth Public Service in the Territory over the last 10 years? In fact, where were those who now sit opposite when over 2100 Territory jobs were lost from the Commonwealth public sector? The silence was deafening. Now, we have Ferguson saying, `Be warned'. I invite members to look at the coverage at the time. I quote from the NT News of 8 February 1993:
A union advertisement in the NT News last week called on consumers to write to Senator Bob Collins, MHR
Warren Snowdon and Telecom chief executive officer Frank Blount. Telecom's operator-assisted services
manager, Dean Messner, said the people the union was seeking support from had already endorsed and approved
closure of the exchange.
Territorians might wonder why it is that, when they dial 013, they are answered by someone in Adelaide. In fact, the caller has often to explain where they are ringing from and explain the names of some of the streets in Tennant Creek and Katherine. We spoke up about it at the time, but you lot were so ...
Members interjecting.
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Mr STONE: What was the point of writing to either Snowdon or Collins, knowing that they had agreed with the policy that would see 147 jobs lost from Telecom at the time? I do not recall ever hearing the Leader of the Opposition speak up for Territorians, other than in the most muted tones imaginable.
What is this policy? I will table it in order that honourable members and all Territorians may be very clear about this. It gives very clear undertakings, particularly in terms of national-interest safeguards. This is what the Coalition says:
We will maintain Telstra's community service obligations, funded through the universal services
levy, which will ensure that rural and regional Australia receive fair and equitable services. We will
also investigate whether the definitions of `standard telephone service' should be upgraded.
Mr Ede: That is wrong!
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition says that is wrong. The written word is there for all to see, and it sits very uncomfortably with him.
Once again, Labor has been caught out. Australians were warned that unions would start to run this fear-and-loathing campaign. Australians were told that the union movement would tell lies to try to frighten ordinary Australians away from good, innovative policies. That is exactly what we are seeing here.
The ultimate hypocrisy is uncovered in the revelation that Paul Keating was proposing to flog off Telstra in any event. What better authority for that than the Community and Public Sector Union? In its own bulletin - and I provide a copy of that - the CPSU calls upon the federal government to back off. Paul Keating is the man who said that he would not sell Qantas. And what did he do? He said that he would not sell a number of other public utilities - but he did, and with very little return to the Australian taxpayer. Members opposite have been condemned by their own leader. To have to bring Martin Ferguson from the southern states to run their arguments for them simply shows how desperate that lot have become.
Mr Ede: We will have a debate on that later. There are a few facts that the Chief Minister might like to find out. Obviously, he is not aware of them.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Do you have a question?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a top question in the sense that it presents an opportunity to expose members opposite as phonies. Here we have Martin Ferguson trapezing into our community. He is nothing more than another aspiring federal Labor politician. He has come here to rattle the sword and say that we should look out because this policy will cost Territory jobs. One has to ask where Martin Ferguson has been whilst the federal government has been ripping the heart out of the Commonwealth Public Service in the Territory over the last 10 years? In fact, where were those who now sit opposite when over 2100 Territory jobs were lost from the Commonwealth public sector? The silence was deafening. Now, we have Ferguson saying, `Be warned'. I invite members to look at the coverage at the time. I quote from the NT News of 8 February 1993:
A union advertisement in the NT News last week called on consumers to write to Senator Bob Collins, MHR
Warren Snowdon and Telecom chief executive officer Frank Blount. Telecom's operator-assisted services
manager, Dean Messner, said the people the union was seeking support from had already endorsed and approved
closure of the exchange.
Territorians might wonder why it is that, when they dial 013, they are answered by someone in Adelaide. In fact, the caller has often to explain where they are ringing from and explain the names of some of the streets in Tennant Creek and Katherine. We spoke up about it at the time, but you lot were so ...
Members interjecting.
Page 1162
Mr STONE: What was the point of writing to either Snowdon or Collins, knowing that they had agreed with the policy that would see 147 jobs lost from Telecom at the time? I do not recall ever hearing the Leader of the Opposition speak up for Territorians, other than in the most muted tones imaginable.
What is this policy? I will table it in order that honourable members and all Territorians may be very clear about this. It gives very clear undertakings, particularly in terms of national-interest safeguards. This is what the Coalition says:
We will maintain Telstra's community service obligations, funded through the universal services
levy, which will ensure that rural and regional Australia receive fair and equitable services. We will
also investigate whether the definitions of `standard telephone service' should be upgraded.
Mr Ede: That is wrong!
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition says that is wrong. The written word is there for all to see, and it sits very uncomfortably with him.
Once again, Labor has been caught out. Australians were warned that unions would start to run this fear-and-loathing campaign. Australians were told that the union movement would tell lies to try to frighten ordinary Australians away from good, innovative policies. That is exactly what we are seeing here.
The ultimate hypocrisy is uncovered in the revelation that Paul Keating was proposing to flog off Telstra in any event. What better authority for that than the Community and Public Sector Union? In its own bulletin - and I provide a copy of that - the CPSU calls upon the federal government to back off. Paul Keating is the man who said that he would not sell Qantas. And what did he do? He said that he would not sell a number of other public utilities - but he did, and with very little return to the Australian taxpayer. Members opposite have been condemned by their own leader. To have to bring Martin Ferguson from the southern states to run their arguments for them simply shows how desperate that lot have become.
Mr Ede: We will have a debate on that later. There are a few facts that the Chief Minister might like to find out. Obviously, he is not aware of them.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Do you have a question?
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016