Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I consider that question to be ill-considered. This government is extremely proud of the fact that, after the Labor Party failed to take any of the tough questions on the privatisation of Telstra, failed to do anything about shutting down analog mobile phones and did not have any kind of substitute technology in place and left the bush high and dry, with no consumer protection, the government has entrenched safeguards for consumers and has delivered services to rural and regional Australia. It has appreciated that in populous areas the market works well; the market will deliver these services.