Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Coonan. I refer the minister to her claim yesterday that Telstra had Mr John Utting on its payroll. Can the minister confirm that today she received a letter from Telstra expressly stating that neither Mr Utting nor his firm has any financial relationship with Telstra? Hasn’t Mr Utting confirmed this in a letter to Telstra today, which states:

... neither UMR Research nor I have either a current or recent financial relationship with Telstra.

Can the minister now confirm that Telstra has had only one pollster on its books in recent years; namely, the Liberal Party’s pollster, Crosby Textor? Will the minister now correct the record and apologise to Mr Utting, Telstra, the Senate and the Australian people for her false claims in question time yesterday?