asked the Minister representing the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, in writing, on 18 August 2011:

Has the Minister, any staff of the Minister's office and/or the Minister's department received any correspondence from, or had discussions with, any of the interested parties involved in the tender process for the Australia Network contract about the impact of the Government's decision on the financial viability of their proposal; if so, (a) what parties were involved, and (b) can the Minister indicate the nature of the correspondence and/or discussion.